A Top-Tier Green Tea Actress Enters a Dating Reality Show - Chapter 50

The hotel room seemed to be entirely soaked in alcohol; empty and half-full wine bottles were scattered everywhere. Golden-yellow liquid flowed across the floor, and the rich aroma of wine had become pungent.

The brilliant afternoon sun in Tibet was completely blocked by the thick curtains, creating a dim, wide, and strangely suffocating atmosphere within the hotel room.

Just two minutes after Tao Tao hung up the call with Meng Ziqing and Qin Yue, an unexpected call urgently came through.

“Hiss—” Tao Tao frowned instinctively as she looked at the name.

“Hello, what is it?”

“Wuwuwu, Sister…”

As she answered the phone, Tao Tao’s frown deepened. The voice on the other end was intermittent.

A few minutes later, she demanded, “What exactly happened?!”

The desperate female voice on the other side was full of helplessness, making Tao Tao want to smash everything she saw.

“Sister, you can’t do this, don’t hurt him. If you do, he… he’ll get desperate and then I’ll be finished, wuwuwu…”

“Seriously, you absolutely must remain calm, don’t hurt him. Wuwu, Sister, I’m scared…”

“I know. I’ll handle this; you calm down for a bit. I definitely won’t let him get agitated.” The hoarse female voice, laced with the smell of alcohol, was full of impatience but still tried to comfort the tearful person on the other end of the phone.

“Sister, you must keep him steady.” The person on the other end was still sobbing, sounding worried.

“I will keep him steady. Hang up, hang up.”

After hanging up, the woman seemed to lose all patience.

“Bang!”

The executive producer in the room was startled and nearly fell off the sofa to his knees.

“Damn it, a bunch of idiots.”

The woman, leaning against the sofa with her head tilted back and hand covering her forehead, cursed. Her chest was still heaving quite heavily, like a ferocious beast that had been quiet for a moment. Not far away, a brand-new smartphone lay lonely on the floor. Through the dim light, one could glimpse cracks on its screen, a testament to the owner’s strength.

Tao Tao was already slender and tall, and the structure of her brow and eyes held a hint of aggression. It wasn’t obvious when she was usually lounging around, but now her hair was slightly messy, and the slender curve of her wrist, from the bone to the fingertip, exuded an almost vicious sharpness.

She looked exceptionally decisive and extremely difficult to mess with.

The headache and nausea from the hangover made Tao Tao feel unwell physically and mentally. Her temper was already foul at this moment, and then Qin Yue and Meng Ziqing dropped bombshells, leading the executive producer to risk his life to wake her up from bed.

She felt like killing someone.

Yet, she couldn’t touch Wen Siliang right now…

“Crash!”

A wine bottle was smashed onto the floor as a tool for venting, creating a sound of breaking glass. Shards flew, briefly catching the light.

The two executive producers on the nearby sofa flinched and exchanged glances, their eyes filled with the same emotion—they wanted to run! But at a time like this, playing statue was the best choice.

They only prayed that Wen Siliang, the culprit, would arrive quickly. There’s a first wrongdoer and a first debtor; they just hoped they, as innocent bystanders, wouldn’t suffer.

When Wen Siliang and Meng Ziqing arrived at the hotel, they were led to the top floor. Before they even opened the door, Meng Ziqing, holding the doorknob, could hear the sound of shattering glass through the gap in the door.

The sound clearly reached Meng Ziqing’s ears, and the slightly trembling door announced the occupant’s furious state.

Meng Ziqing’s heart lurched. Without even thinking, she forcefully pressed down on the knob, pushed the door open, and with lightning speed, she grabbed the arm of the hesitating Wen Siliang behind her, flung him forward, and then quickly pulled herself and Qin Yue to the side.

Qin Yue instinctively hugged Meng Ziqing, her eyes full of confusion: ?!

“Sister, I’m scared!” Meng Ziqing whispered nervously, holding tightly onto Qin Yue’s slender but strong waist, refusing to look at the flung-out Wen Siliang.

“What are you doing—Ah!!”

Wen Siliang had no time to be terrified. The next second, a wine bottle was fiercely thrown out through the open-door gap, slamming hard into his face. The initial shock instantly turned into a scream.

The bottle, buffered by his face, clattered to the floor, sounding harsh in the deserted top-floor corridor.

Inside the room, Tao Tao saw that she had hit someone, and her eyebrows slightly raised. The hoarse female voice calmly instructed, “Drag him in.”

The cameraman, who had already put down his equipment, responded in a deep voice, “Yes, Miss.”

Just like that, Meng Ziqing watched as the cameraman, like a subordinate, clamped a hand over Wen Siliang’s mouth and dragged him straight into the room. The technique was unbelievably clean and professional.

She gulped and looked at Qin Yue, asking tentatively, “Sister, should we go in too?”

Meng Ziqing knew that Director Tao, or rather Producer Tao, had a deep background, a ‘Taizi’ figure daughter of a powerful family who was a true red heir, but she never expected her style to be this savage.

Goodness, knowing she was a proper heir, but anyone who didn’t would think she had the style of a bandit. She might as well be from a criminal family.

“Based on the content of the phone call she made to us, we need to go in,” Qin Yue thought for a moment and confirmed.

“Let’s go in. Although Tao Tao has a bad temper, she is reasonable. Don’t be afraid of her.” Qin Yue patted Meng Ziqing’s back reassuringly. “When I was very young, before I moved to France with my father, I used to play with her for a while. She’s actually quite alright.”

Qin Yue was not a nostalgic person; she always looked forward and rarely talked about the past. Suddenly mentioning her childhood years in China, a hint of nostalgic gentleness flashed across her cool, refined eyes.

It was like a scroll of ink painting being unfurled, though it was unclear if it recorded people or landscape scenery.

Meng Ziqing blinked, feeling a strange tightness in her chest at Qin Yue’s words. She didn’t know why, but she asked, like a curious child, “Then she…”

“I said, what are you two dawdling for at the door? If you’re going to discuss people, go somewhere further away, or else both of you get inside.” A summoning voice came from inside the room.

The voice was so much like a big sister Big Sister Boss, Meng Ziqing stopped talking and followed behind Qin Yue, holding her hand like a cat.

The moment Meng Ziqing followed Qin Yue into the room, her pure black, bright eyes widened slightly, and the shock on her delicate, ethereal face was undisguised.

Oh my god!

“Just sit wherever you like.” Director Tao casually leaned back semi-reclined on the sofa, occasionally sipping tea. And Wen Siliang—

Was being pressed down on the floor, kneeling, by the cameraman…

Yes, that’s right, kneeling.

Kneeling on both knees, with his head also pressed to the ground.

Perhaps fearing he wouldn’t be flexible enough while kneeling, the cameraman was thoughtful enough to press a foot on his waist, ensuring his kneeling was standard, an act of total prostration.

In the presidential suite where the tightly drawn curtains blocked out the sunlight, the cozy orange lighting appeared dim and murky. Various wine bottles were scattered in disarray, and glass shards covered the floor, making it impossible to step safely. Nearby, the executive producers were huddled like quails, shrinking their shoulders. The person kneeling in the center could no longer be clearly seen, only thin streaks of fresh red blood mixing with the wine, adding a faint bloody scent to the pungent aroma of alcohol.

Good heavens, this wasn’t a talk; this was clearly a trial!

A trial that could lead to death.

Meng Ziqing was stunned. “Director Tao, are you sure your family isn’t running some sort of a small criminal organization?!”

“What does a little kid know? This is called ‘military and banditry are one family’.” Tao Tao replied. She slowly took another sip of tea, then casually splashed the warm tea onto Wen Siliang’s head. She swayed as she stood up and squatted in front of him. “Besides, he’s been married into the Lin family for several years. It wouldn’t be right for me, the cousin, not to give him a gift.”

She patted Wen Siliang’s face, which was already cut by glass shards, in a bandit-like manner. “You agree, right, brother-in-law?”

Meng Ziqing chuckled faintly at that. “No one’s cousin gives their cousin’s husband a bottle as a gift and makes him kneel… Wait a minute…”

Meng Ziqing paused, her expression strange, her tone slightly raised. “His wife is Lin Zhao?!”

The Tao family was prominent in the military, and the Lin family in business. The two families were a powerful alliance. If Tao Tao was the fearless ‘Taizi’ of the compound, whom even the heavens couldn’t strike down, then Lin Zhao was the undisputed noble princess. Her word in high society was like her name—an edict Zhao.

Years ago, it was rumored she met a celebrity while studying abroad and quickly got married on a whim. But she was a little princess and cared about appearances. She never told anyone except her family who the celebrity she married was. Although everyone was curious, out of respect for Princess Lin, no one asked.

Coupled with the passage of time, and the Lin family’s drama about the real and fake heiress in the last two years—with Lin Zhao, the fake heiress, losing much of her power—everyone was so busy following the dramatic gossip that they forgot she was even married.

Meng Ziqing looked at Wen Siliang. Lin Zhao, that drama queen who had been dominant for over twenty years, was actually married to Wen Siliang, this hypocritical man.

She was just trying to expose a scumbag, but she ended up being fed rotten gossip.

Meng Ziqing quietly took Qin Yue’s hand, feeling that watching the rest of this spectacle would be enough for her. Wen Siliang had dug his own grave; even Hua Tuo couldn’t save him.

“Yeah, that dead girl.” Tao Tao responded. “I was wondering why that brat insisted on stuffing someone into my show. Turns out it was all to prepare for a quiet divorce.”

At this, Tao Tao unexpectedly kicked Wen Siliang in the chest. “Wen, the Great Movie Star, you really have some nerve. Damn it, you filmed a pornographic video and used it to threaten my Tao family member?!”

“Using an intimate video to threaten someone, how dare you?! Did you really think my family had no one?”

Wen Siliang groaned, clutching his chest in pain from Tao Tao’s kick.

Meng Ziqing flinched along with the two executive producers. It looked like it really hurt.

But it was also truly satisfying!

Kick that scumbag to death!

“You’ve been in the industry for so many years, going through the wind and rain, huh?”

Tao Tao grabbed Wen Siliang by the collar, her voice cold as iron. “Did you seriously think my Tao family has no one? Wen Siliang, I’ll tell you clearly: the arm cannot twist the thigh, and you cannot outplay me, let alone the Lin and Tao families.”

Tao Tao pointed outside and gave a sarcastic smile, her words cutting. “So what if you have dirt on Lin Zhao? You can take it to every newspaper office; let’s see who dares to publish it.”

“Try publishing it yourself. Let’s see if you can get it up or not, and if you do, who will believe it?”

“I’m telling you, Wen Siliang, when the social class is high, you face countless temptations, not just the small ones you deal with as an actor.” Tao Tao’s hoarse, alcohol-tinged voice was indifferent, revealing a sense of worldly disillusionment. “The privilege in our class is immense, but we are strict with ourselves, earning the fairness we deserve with our own hands, not like you, disregarding the law and trying to play on the fringes of grey areas.”

“The reason I’m being so polite to you now is not because I’m afraid of you, but because I’m giving you a final ultimatum. Even if Lin Zhao is not the Lin family’s biological daughter, she is not someone you can afford to provoke.”

Tao Tao grabbed Wen Siliang’s hair. Her pale, bony hands looked like sharp claws, lifting her prey to meet her cold gaze.

The hoarse female voice in the quiet room was clearly chilling to the bone.

“If I see anything online that I don’t want to see, I won’t hesitate to use a little extralegal privilege on you, understand?”

“After all, dead men tell no tales. Get it?”

“I… I understand! I understand, please let me go!” A mixture of wine and blood was oozing from the shattered wound on his forehead. At this moment, Wen Siliang was a far cry from his former glorious self. He frantically nodded, truly terrified now.

Tao Tao curved her eyes into a smile. “Good boy…”

“As for the liquidated damages for withdrawing from the show, I, your cousin, won’t lie to you. We’re still family, so just double the 30 million yuan liquidated damages. Ninety million will suffice. Remember, it needs to be in my account within a week, or else…” Tao Tao smiled. “You can probably still get a divorce while in jail.”

Then, with a casual flick of her hand, she released him, letting Wen Siliang fall miserably to the ground, after which he was dragged out like a dead dog by the program staff.

Finally, this grand drama concluded with Wen Siliang being violently beaten by his cousin-director, kicked out of the hotel overnight, and forced to pay triple the liquidated damages, serving as a brief end to the affair.

Meng Ziqing and Qin Yue sat side-by-side next to the two executive producers, having watched the entire spectacle of the director assaulting the scumbag, feeling utterly thrilled.

Director is the best!!

Was there any repressed feeling from not participating in the violence?

How could there be? If Meng Ziqing had wanted the pleasure of doing it herself, she wouldn’t have spent a month looking for Qin Yue and trying to get her to help.

Watching someone beat up a scumbag, especially a live, up-close version, was simply too exhilarating!

After the chaos subsided, Wen Siliang’s marital status was swiftly dealt with under the director’s ruthless execution.

Tao Tao exhaled; her hangover headache had slightly lessened. She sat back down on the sofa, crossing her legs, and waved her hand, signaling the two executive producers to leave.

Meng Ziqing, who had been about to follow the executive producers out, paused. The matter was settled; what else was there?

“The Wen Siliang business is handled. Now, let’s talk about you two.” Tao Tao leaned against the sofa, casually grabbed a wine bottle, and took a swig. Her demeanor was clearly much more familiar than when dealing with others.

Meng Ziqing: ?

“I mean, after all these years of not seeing you, you come on my show, and you don’t even act all close and chummy, drinking with me like sisters. Fine. But look at you two: first, there was Gu Yang, and now Wen Siliang.” Tao Tao pointed excitedly at the floor. “Why didn’t you tell me about these idiot men? I would have kicked them out beforehand!”

Qin Yue’s cool, refined eyes were indifferent, and her tone was flat, conveying innocence. “We didn’t know things would turn out this way.”

“This is the first time I’ve done a show, and it almost couldn’t continue because of two idiots. Where do I put my face?!” She yelled in a loud voice, sounding extremely wronged.

Meng Ziqing frowned, looking at the still-drunk and raving Director Tao with a complex gaze. The uncomfortable feeling in her heart resurfaced.

Because in Meng Ziqing’s memory of the original host—

There was no such person as Tao Tao.