After Redeeming the Female Lead, I Faked My Death and Escaped - Chapter 36.3

Managing a child of that age wasn’t too difficult just distract them. With a single piece of candy, Ying Xu easily earned Xiao Nian’s trust and wrapped up the shoot in half an hour.

The teacher looked genuinely surprised, and Ying Xu smiled modestly at the praise. Once the teacher left, she turned to Luo Zhu: “What are you filming?”

“Huh?” On the screen, CEO Gu’s name was glaringly obvious. Luo Zhu quickly hid her phone, looking guilty. “Nothing.”

Ying Xu gave her a knowing look: “Really?”

Luo Zhu was about to feign composure and respond when Ying Xu teased, “If you’re sending my photos to Qingzhu, remember to photoshop them nicely.”

Luo Zhu: “I’ll go take this call outside.”

By the time Gu Qingzhu saw the photos, only the final scene of the shoot remained.

At that moment, Assistant Lu was following Shan Qiaoyun’s instructions, trying to persuade her to attend the crew’s wrap party that night.

Normally, Shan Qiaoyun wouldn’t go to such lengths to “convince” her for such a small event. But tonight, a renowned director would be attending, one who was currently preparing a serious film. If Gu Qingzhu could land the lead role, it would be a huge boost for Qinghong.

Yet, after hearing the explanation, all Gu Qingzhu could think about was Ying Xu.

If she could get the alpha to appear in this film, her public image would surely recover.

As for the film itself, landing the role would be nice, but it wasn’t essential.

Either way, this would be her last project with Qinghong. Once the contract ended, they’d go their separate ways.

But her thoughts were never something she felt the need to share.

After hanging up, exhaustion flickered in Gu Qingzhu’s eyes until she saw the photos Luo Zhu had sent, and her mind slowly came back to life.

In the picture, Ying Xu was holding a children’s book, patiently speaking to a little girl. Her smile was warm, as if time had frozen in that moment, everything serene and perfect.

Gu Qingzhu didn’t like children.

She hated anything that made loud noises.

This was the first time she had seen Ying Xu interacting with a child.

After going through the photos, Gu Qingzhu noticed Luo Zhu’s message: 【Ying Xu seemed to notice I was taking pictures. She asked me to edit them nicely and send her regards to President Gu.】

The words reflected in her irises. A few seconds later, she raised her hand and deleted the entire chat history.

When the knock came, Ying Xu was watching the official trailer for Redemption.

Under the hands of professional editors, those fragmented shooting clips were seamlessly woven together, vividly portraying the melodramatic, suspenseful romance. Within just an hour of its release, the comments had already surpassed thirty thousand, most of them critical.

No actor dared to be the first to repost this update, fearing they would be dragged down by the enraged netizens.

Just then, Ying Xu received a message from Luo Zhu with the drafted statement. She flexed her fingers, knowing full well she would have to be the one to stick her neck out.

Within a minute, she received countless likes and comments, but Ying Xu had no time to go through them one by one.

The intermittent knocking blended into the video playing in the background, so it didn’t immediately catch her attention. By the time she realized and went to open the door, Xiao Yi had already grabbed the hem of her clothes.

It was the same way she had grabbed Lin Jian earlier, but this time, the girl spoke up first.

“Jiejie.”

The word made Ying Xu freeze for a moment. The term felt oddly familiar, but she couldn’t recall where she had heard it before.

Before she could gather her thoughts and ask why Xiao Yi was here, the girl had already wrapped her arms around Ying Xu’s leg and said simply, “Carry.”

Ying Xu had just carried Xiao Nian earlier, and now, as she lifted Xiao Yi, she realized how light the girl was, as if her body were nothing but bones, weightless as a wisp of cotton.

Unaware of how Xiao Yi behaved around Lin Jian, Ying Xu assumed the girl could communicate normally.

But Xiao Yi fell silent again, as if she didn’t know how to say more. After a moment of thought, she pulled a voice recorder from her pocket. The red light was blinking it had been recording for over an hour.

Ying Xu was taken aback. “Did the teacher give this to you?”

Xiao Yi shook her head, hesitated, then nodded.

On the recording, Lin Jian’s voice was distorted with rage, nearly unrecognizable.

Ying Xu didn’t hear Xiao Yi speak at all in the recording, yet the girl had just spoken in front of her.

Frowning in thought, Ying Xu felt Xiao Yi reach up and touch her face.

The gesture was so sudden that Ying Xu’s gaze lingered on the girl’s face.

“Jiejie,” Xiao Yi said, “like… smell.”

Like the smell? What smell? The scent of an alpha’s pheromones?

Countless guesses flashed through Ying Xu’s mind, but after furrowing her brows in thought, Xiao Yi uttered two more words: “Mama.”

Ying Xu:

Was she saying that Ying Xu smelled like her mother?

After the initial shock, Ying Xu let out a quiet laugh. She reached out, instinctively resting her hand on Xiao Yi’s head. When the girl didn’t resist, she gently ruffled her hair.

“What do you want to play?” she asked softly. But instead of answering, Xiao Yi buried her face in Ying Xu’s shoulder, closing her eyes as if clinging to her.

Before long, she was fast asleep.

When Luo Zhu stepped back into the room, she found Ying Xu with a sleeping child in her arms and another by her side.

Staring at the beautiful dress, Luo Zhu’s mind went blank for a second. Before she could ask, the alpha tapped the desk lightly, drawing her attention.

Spring was approaching, the snow thinning, the greenery in the welfare courtyard rustling in the wind.

By the window, Luo Zhu’s expression was grim both because of Lin Jian’s irresponsible attitude and the contempt he had shown toward Ying Xu.

But when Ying Xu spoke, her tone was casual, as if it were no big deal. “Go talk to his photographer. Then post the video and recording online.”

Luo Zhu immediately understood, Ying Xu wanted to strike first, exposing the truth before Lin Jian could smear her name.

But this required the company’s support. Hesitant, Luo Zhu asked, “Should we… mention it to Miss Gu first?”

Luo Zhu didn’t have much interaction with Ying Xu, but she knew the other woman was far from the “approachable” and “foolish” persona she portrayed on screen. This contrast made Luo Zhu harbor a blind trust in her.

“Qingzhu has her own matters to attend to. Someone will handle this issue, and in the future, trivial matters like this don’t need to trouble her.” Seeing Luo Zhu remain silent for a long time, Ying Xu’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. “I’m your artist. You should trust me.”

In the end, Luo Zhu did trust Ying Xu, but she also mentally prepared herself to seek Gu Qingzhu’s help if needed.

Who would have thought that just by having a few marketing accounts post a short clip, the hashtag #NoWonderNoOneAdoptedYouLinJian# would skyrocket in popularity, landing directly at the top of the trending charts?

Perhaps Xiao Yi, the child Lin Jian had insulted, was too young to understand the meaning behind those words.

But the public understood and they were furious.

[What kind of lunatic says something like that? No wonder you’re so irrelevant is it because you’re ugly?]

[I’ve always said alphas aren’t fit for the entertainment industry. Trash, every single one of them. First Ying Xu, now Lin Jian, living up to his name, being as despicable as possible.]

[She’s already suffered so much, how could you say something like that? Have you no conscience or morals? Disgusting!]

Public outrage exploded instantly, and within moments, the entire internet was condemning Lin Jian.

By the time Lin Jian’s manager realized something was wrong and rushed to confront the cameraman, the latter had already taken the money and fled. His contract was under Feiyun Entertainment, so he wasn’t worried about Lin Jian overstepping to retaliate.

Naturally, the show couldn’t continue filming.

The orphanage, upon receiving the news, was equally shocked and sternly informed Lin Jian that he had violated the contract. They refused any settlement legal action was inevitable.

Lin Jian was stunned. His first instinct was to flee, but a row of security guards stood at the entrance.

Outside the gates, reporters had already swarmed the scene, scrambling for the first exclusive. Some had even started live streams with titles like: [Live on the Frontlines Press 1 to Help Kick Lin Jian Out of the Entertainment Industry!]

Caught red-handed, Lin Jian faced a barrage of cameras. The reporters’ sharp questions pierced his eardrums and overwhelmed his mind:

“Why did you verbally abuse a disabled child? Did you receive similar violent upbringing as a child?”

“One netizen commented: ‘Xiao Yi stays silent because talking to scum like you is beneath her.’ Do you agree with this statement?”

“Reports indicate fluctuations in Lin Corporation’s stock prices, and your father has refused interviews. Does this mean the Lin family is cutting their losses? What’s your take on this?”

The alpha’s face flushed red, nearly speechless. He realized he had become the prime target in these vultures’ eyes. To divert their attention, he needed to throw out something even more explosive.

What? What?

Like an ant on a hot pan, he suddenly remembered something and blurted out in a shrill voice: “Ying Xu!”

Camera flashes erupted incessantly as the reporters exchanged puzzled looks.

What did Ying Xu have to do with this?

The video circulating online had deliberately edited out the parts where Lin Jian mentioned Ying Xu.

As a result, Lin Jian never suspected her involvement, assuming instead that the cameraman had been bribed by his rivals.

“None of you knew, did you?” Lin Jian struggled to maintain composure, feigning arrogance. “She was actually part of this show too. Her first public appearance since the scandal, isn’t that the kind of scoop you love? Go interview her!”

That was indeed a bombshell revelation.

Just as a reporter’s eyes lit up with interest, someone nearby whispered a few words in their ear, and in an instant, their gaze toward Lin Jian turned disdainful.

Only ten minutes earlier, raw, unedited footage of all the artists’ activities had been leaked.

The videos were complete, uncut. But someone had already done the “TL;DR” for netizens, specifically highlighting the contrasting reactions of Lin Jian and Ying Xu when interacting with the children.

In Lin Jian’s case, he was loud and impatient throughout, regardless of whether Xiao Yi cooperated or not. His irritable demeanor made viewers want to type a single word in response: [Get lost].

In stark contrast, Ying Xu remained gentle and patient the entire time.