A rainstorm had started outside the venue at some point. Lightning tore through the night sky, and rainwater splashed wantonly on the high steps, creating layers upon layers of spray.

Until a figure holding an umbrella appeared within the curtain of rain.

Under a large black umbrella, Qin Fan walked over slowly, holding the long hem of her dress. Her figure was slender and graceful, walking unhurriedly in the rain, like a court lady from a slowly unfurling painting by a master artist.

Xiao Tu did her best to hold the umbrella over Qin Fan, following cautiously by her side.

The next moment, however, Qin Fan stopped. Her cool, soft fingers pushed the umbrella handle towards her, her pleasant voice still light. "Don't get wet."

Sneaking a glance at the fairy beside her, Xiao Tu still felt like she was dreaming.

This kind and beautiful fairy had just been so domineering and aggressive, grabbing the entertainment industry's dream goddess with a powerful backer by the neck and pinning her against the wall.

Thinking about it now, her heart still thumped wildly at how cool that was.

Of course, Xiao Tu hadn't forgotten about the important matter. "Sister Fanfan, what if Goddess Qin... no, I mean Qin Yuzhi, what if Qin Yuzhi gets the hallway surveillance footage and uses it to cyberbully you?"

Those of us who were there know that Qin Yuzhi was the one who provoked first.

But the netizens don't know that.

Besides, I was the only one there on Sister Fanfan's side! The other party had so many assistants; we're at a huge disadvantage.

A white van was parked on the side of the road.

Because of the rain and since they left late, the usually bustling area outside the venue was now quiet, with only a few cars passing by besides their van.

Qin Fan bent down to get in the van and said nonchalantly, "She won't."

Qin Yuzhi is extremely vain. It wasn't easy for her to cultivate her goddess image of being superior and in control of everything, so how could she possibly expose the side of her that was utterly crushed? In her eyes, being so thoroughly humiliated tonight is a dark part of her past that she probably wishes she could erase forever.

However, Qin Yuzhi will resort to methods even more disgusting than cyberbullying...

Having grown up with her, Qin Fan would never underestimate the depths of her loathsomeness.

Xiao Tu looked at her own artist with a face full of admiration:

"What kind of goddess is Qin Yuzhi? Our Fairy Fan is the real goddess!"

Whether in terms of looks or intelligence, she completely crushes Qin Yuzhi. She even hit her on the spot so hard that the other party didn't dare to make a peep. Simply amazing.

Qin Fan was a bit surprised by Xiao Tu's reaction. "Aren't you her fan?"

Xiao Tu immediately made her stance clear: "Of course not!"

"I'm just an ordinary person who hasn't seen much of the world. I just got a little excited seeing a big star at the mall last time."

Fearing that Qin Fan would misunderstand her position, she even raised her hand and swore, "I, Xu Tu, will forever be on Fairy Fan's side!"

Qin Fan was amused by the sight of her swearing an oath while holding an umbrella in the rain, and her red lips curved into a slight smile.

Just then, a head popped up from the passenger seat. "What are you fooling around for? Get in the car already."

It was Jiang Rong, who had come to pick them up personally.

As the car started, Jiang Rong first mentioned, "You're trending. Your red carpet performance today was excellent."

Recalling their conversation outside, she frowned and asked suspiciously, "However... based on what I just heard, did something happen that I don't know about?"

Xiao Tu vividly recounted the scene in the hallway.

It was too late for Qin Fan to stop her.

She watched helplessly as Jiang Rong looked like she was having trouble breathing, yet still insisted on hearing all the details from Xiao Tu.

Qin Fan pretended not to notice. After drying the slightly damp ends of her hair with a towel, she moved to the private space in the back of the van. She changed out of her gown, its hem now soaked, and into a simple white T-shirt and shorts that were kept as a spare in the van.

Then, she curled up in the back row and took out her phone to scroll through Weibo.

Her red carpet photos from today had already made her stand out among the crowd of female celebrities vying for attention on the same stage.

They occupied a spot on the trending list:

#Fairy Qin Fan Red Carpet Look#

Top comments——

"This face, this figure, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her a goddess, right?"

"You can always trust the mortal fairy, Qin Fan."

"That look in her eyes is absolutely divine!"

"I'm getting lost in her alluring eyes, sob sob sob."

"Sister, you're so beautiful, you need to be more active! Don't waste this natural beauty."

"Blushing and heart-pounding.jpg. Why is a simple slip dress making my heart race so fast?"

Qin Fan's slender finger rested on her brow as she nonchalantly continued to scroll down.

They were mostly comments praising her beauty, and the topic's popularity was climbing so fast that it eventually surpassed what was originally number one on the trending list: #Qin Yuzhi's Fashion Gala Debut#.

The venue was far from the hotel. Leaning against the car window, she watched the rain outside drizzle on with no sign of letting up.

Qin Fan stared at a red carpet photo of Qin Yuzhi on her phone, her mind drifting.

She thought about the harsh words she had thrown at Qin Yuzhi two hours ago.

It was easier said than done.

Her current situation with Qin Yuzhi was as follows:

She was like a newbie in starter gear, arrogantly challenging a hacked, pay-to-win god-tier player decked out in golden equipment about who had more money.

Just as Qin Fan was feeling troubled, Jiang Rong, who had been listening to Xiao Tu's full account of what happened, finally managed to calm down.

She turned to look at Qin Fan and suggested very seriously, "Why don't you just go and ask your Boss Xie for help?"

She even quoted a classic source: "Didn't Zhang Ailing say that a man conquers the world to conquer women, while a woman conquers a man to conquer the world? Think about it. This is the ultimate trump card heaven bestowed upon women."

Qin Fan's lips pursed slightly, her expression thoughtful——

'Using Xie Yanli as a tool to destroy Qin Yuzhi... doesn't seem entirely unacceptable?'

However, Qin Fan didn't answer. Her fingertips toyed with her thin phone as she said in a nonchalant tone, "Sister Jiang, I'd much rather conquer the world to conquer a man."

Jiang Rong: "..."

She was silent for two seconds, then said faintly, "Have you ever considered that conquering a man like Boss Xie might be even more difficult than conquering the world?"

The smile on Qin Fan's face vanished. She pulled the thin blanket over her head. "Don't say another word!"

Refusing to communicate.

As her vision darkened, the image of Xie Yanli's emotionless and desireless face surfaced in Qin Fan's mind. Even when they were doing the most intimate of things, he could still maintain his full composure.

Seducing a man like that, making him fall, making him lose his sanity... that was indeed more thrilling than conquering the world.

She imagined the Bodhisattva succumbing to a trial of love, willingly stepping down from his divine pedestal.

Before she knew it, the thin blanket covering Qin Fan's face had slipped off, and she had fallen asleep.

Seeing Qin Fan's weary expression, Jiang Rong personally adjusted her seat angle and said quietly to the driver, "Drive a little slower."

She had wanted to ask what was really going on with her and Qin Yuzhi, but seeing how tired she was, Jiang Rong suppressed all her questions for the time being.

......

The fashion gala was held in Fei City, adjacent to Bei Cheng. Due to the rain, Qin Fan and her team stayed the night at a hotel instead of braving the storm on the highway.

The rainstorm stopped in the latter half of the night.

"Bzzz..."

The vibration of a phone echoed in the pitch-black hotel room.

From the large, snow-white bed, a small, porcelain-white hand, almost the same color as the sheets, suddenly emerged. It fumbled for the phone, and a slightly hoarse voice answered, "Hello?"

"It's me, open the door! Quick!"

Jiang Rong's voice was urgent.

Ten minutes later, in the living room of the suite.

With unconcealable anger on her face, Jiang Rong handed a tablet to Qin Fan. "An hour ago, Qin Yuzhi's studio 'liked' a fan's post that praised her red carpet look, saying it had the same alluring vibe as the female lead of Feng Hua. It's an official hint that Qin Yuzhi has already been cast for Feng Hua."

"It all started when a popular book blogger on Weibo said that your red carpet look really captured the essence of Ning Fenghua, and suggested that Director Pei consider you for the role."

"Now, everyone online is tearing you down to prop up Qin Yuzhi. That's bad enough, but the clip from Hua Yao's livestream where she said you got the audition has also been dug up, and now they're mocking you, saying the 'fairy' has fallen into the mud."

This was no longer just about losing a role; more seriously, her reputation was being damaged.

In the entertainment industry, an actor's public image is sometimes just as important as their acting skills.

Qin Fan sat on the sofa under the bright lights. Her eyelashes were slightly lowered, and the light cast her profile in a cold, white glow, like the finest jade. She stared expressionlessly at the Weibo page on the screen.

The individual trending topics for her and Qin Yuzhi had already fallen out of the top five.