The Possessive Villain Is Too Clingy [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 35

Watching Xie Shuyu leave the park, Chu Ning and Ye Zhixia strolled around for a while longer.

Passersby brushed past them, all gossiping about Xie Shuyu and the HR manager.

Before the moon rose, Ye Zhixia escorted Chu Ning home.

As soon as Chu Ning stepped into the living room, she saw her grandfather and Chen Jianhua sitting side by side on the sofa, watching TV.

“Grandpa! I’m back,” Chu Ning announced as she walked over to him, then politely greeted Chen Jianhua, “Hello, Uncle Chen!”

Grandfather Chu motioned for Chu Ning to sit beside him, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he introduced, “Since we’re at home, let’s talk about some personal matters.”

“Your Uncle Chen was one of the gifted students I sponsored back in the day. Now, he’s come to the rescue of Chu Corporation in its time of crisis. If you ever have any questions in the future, don’t hesitate to ask him for advice.”

Chu Ning nodded with a smile and gave Chen Jianhua a slight bow. “I’ll be troubling you a lot from now on, Uncle Chen.”

She pondered silently for a long moment. Both Chen Jianhua and Chu Tianheng had been sponsored by her grandfather, yet while Chu Tianheng had stayed with the Chu family, Chen Jianhua had spent all these years abroad in Country A.

She suspected that Chen Jianhua and Chu Tianheng might have been rivals. Perhaps Chen Jianhua could even be an ally in taking down Secretary Jiang.

Summoning her courage, she still treaded carefully. “Grandpa, there’s something I want to discuss—about Chu Tianheng. Is it alright to talk about it here?”

Grandfather Chu had assumed his daughter would never want to bring up Chu Tianheng again. Surprised by her initiative, he was also deeply curious. Raising his chin slightly, he said, “Go ahead, Ningning. There are no outsiders here.”

With his permission, Chu Ning immediately shared the information she had received that day. “Chu Tianheng was also sponsored by you since he was young. If Chen Yufen and Chu Xiao were truly just accidents, then their relationship should have been known by many. But he kept his romance and child a secret—clearly, he had other plans for his marriage.”

Grandfather Chu frowned as he nodded slowly.

Chen Jianhua, too, began stroking his chin in thought.

Seeing that she had piqued their interest, Chu Ning continued calmly and composedly, “If his intention from the very beginning was to marry into the Chu family, could his greatest asset also be a lie?”

Chen Jianhua raised a finger pointedly. “Ningning, are you suggesting that Chu Tianheng might not even be surnamed Chu?”

Hearing him cut straight to the point, Chu Ning closed her eyes slowly and gave a single nod.

Memories flooded Chen Jianhua’s mind. Back then, Grandfather Chu had intended to choose a son-in-law from among the talented young men he sponsored.

Chu Yunshu was charming and beautiful, with the entire Chu Corporation as her backing. The sponsored youths had all been eager, dreaming of marrying the wealthy beauty, securing promotions and raises, and ascending to the pinnacle of life.

But the Chu family’s condition of matrilocal marriage had deterred most of them.

Chu Tianheng, however, had lost his parents in a car accident years earlier. Combined with the natural advantage of sharing the Chu surname, whether he married into the family or not made little difference. Everyone knew he was the best candidate.

As expected, Chu Tianheng had ultimately won the beauty’s hand and even fathered a son and a daughter.

Now, looking back, it all seemed far too coincidental—so much so that it felt like a carefully orchestrated scheme.

Chu Ning, being a woman, had a more meticulous mind than men. In a soft and unhurried tone, she suggested, “Grandfather, when you investigated him before, you always started with archival records. Why not try sending someone to visit the old neighbors of his nominal parents from back then? There might be new leads.”

Before Old Master Chu could respond, Chen Jianhua gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh, saying, “Don’t worry, President Chu! Leave this matter to me! We owe our success today to your kindness back then, and we can’t tolerate someone with such sinister intentions!”

Chu Ning was very pleased with this. She hadn’t been wrong—men had an extremely strong competitive drive. It was likely that Chen Jianhua and Chu Tianheng had clashed more than once in the past, and there must have been plenty of grudges between them.

Chen Jianhua’s eagerness to take on the task of investigating Chu Tianheng today suggested there was some personal animosity involved.

If it turned out that Chu Tianheng’s identity was fabricated, then Secretary Jiang, who had been responsible for scouting talent for Old Master Chu, would certainly be implicated!

–

That night, Ye Zhixia had another dream.

In the dream, Chu Ning stood on the balcony with her back to Ye Zhixia in the living room. She wore a floral sundress, her voluminous curls cascading over her shoulders, and her hands rested on the balcony railing as she listened to music through over-ear headphones.

The room they were in was unfamiliar, and Chu Ning’s outfit was one Ye Zhixia had never seen before. Even Chu Ning’s hair color was slightly different from reality, but she was certain—it was Chu Ning.

Chu Ning swayed gently, as if moving to the rhythm of the music in her headphones.

In the dream, Ye Zhixia found herself rising uncontrollably, silently walking up behind Chu Ning. She wrapped her arms around Chu Ning’s slender waist, kissed her soft hair, and then leaned in close to the headphones.

Just as she was about to make out what music was playing, the scene abruptly shifted.

She was tightly gripping Chu Ning’s hand as the two of them fled in disarray through the ruins of a city. Chu Ning was still wearing the same floral sundress, but now it was stained with dirt and blood.

In the dream, she pulled Chu Ning along in a desperate sprint, as though something dangerous was chasing them.

Suddenly, the ground ahead split open. Momentum made it impossible for her to stop in time, so she mustered all her strength to push Chu Ning backward.

Amid Chu Ning’s despairing scream, she fell into the fissure.

The cracked earth swiftly closed, and the dreaming Ye Zhixia plunged into darkness, while the real Ye Zhixia woke up in bed, drenched in sweat.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting the walls and ceiling in a clear, watery glow. The swaying shadows of trees finally restored Ye Zhixia’s sense of security.

Her breathing gradually steadied, and the terror from the end of the dream faded away.

But the ambiguous scene on the balcony replayed in her mind over and over. The ripples once stirred in her heart now seemed to surge with tiny splashes, colliding against each other, refusing to settle.

She shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to calm down. Tomorrow, she had to go with Chu Ning to the Chu Corporation to handle some procedures—she needed to be well-rested!

Roll over! Cover her head! Sleep!

The next day, while helping Chu Ning with company formalities, Ye Zhixia met Legal Director Li Xia for the first time.

Li Xia had a neat, short haircut with slightly curled ends, resolute eyes, and faint wrinkles at the corners that spoke of the passage of time. She wore a well-tailored suit and flat leather shoes.

With years of legal experience, she exuded the aura of a legal elite from head to toe.

But when dealing with Chu Ning and Ye Zhixia, she was unusually warm and kind.

When introducing Li Xia, Chu Ning’s tone was filled with respect and affection: “Xiaxia-jie, this is my aunt Li Xia, the CFO of the Chu Group, and also my mom’s best friend.”

Ye Zhixia quickly bent slightly to shake hands with Li Xia. “Hello, Director Li.”

Li Xia smiled warmly, her voice kind. “Just call me ‘Auntie’ like Ningning does.”

Though Ye Zhixia felt the term was a bit too familiar, since it was requested by an elder—and one close to Chu Ning—she had no choice but to comply.

“Auntie,” Ye Zhixia replied with a bright smile, her tone carrying a hint of playful affection toward an elder.

Li Xia seemed even more pleased upon hearing this greeting and had her assistant bring out snacks and drinks for the two of them.

Being cared for like a child was a first for Ye Zhixia in this world.

Before arriving, Chu Ning had told her that Li Xia had never married and had always treated Chu Ning as her own child. After Chu Yunshu passed away, Li Xia constantly worried about Chu Ning.

When Chu Ning entered adolescence, Li Xia had even proactively prepared private necessities like sanitary pads and undergarments for her.

While Chu Ning and Chu Hui were at boarding school, Li Xia often brought home-cooked meals to supplement their diets.

Compared to Chu Tianheng, this aunt’s love for them was far more genuine and attentive.

After consulting Xie Shuyu, Chu Ning named the company Zhulin Technology Co., Ltd., incorporating the names of Xie Shuyu, Ye Zhixia, and Chu Ning.

Once everything was settled, Li Xia finally turned serious and told them, “The establishment of this company is entirely handled through me. Within the group, apart from me and President Chu, it will only be presented as an investment in another field. You two must keep it confidential as well.”

Ye Zhixia and Chu Ning both obediently agreed.

After leaving the Chu Group, Ye Zhixia, as usual, drove Chu Ning back to the Chu residence. On the way, she mentioned that she would be accompanying the film crew to the grasslands for a while and reminded Chu Ning to take care of herself during this time.

Chu Ning felt a pang of sadness. Since meeting Ye Zhixia, the two had gone through so much together. The thought of being apart now made her feel as though she was losing something, leaving her heart hollow.

Noticing Chu Ning’s low spirits, Ye Zhixia comforted her in the basement of the Chu family estate: “Don’t be sad, Ningning. Wait for me.”

Chu Ning didn’t reply, her lips pursed in sorrow.

Ye Zhixia then reached out and pinched Chu Ning’s cheek. “I’m just going for location shooting—it’s not like I’m never coming back. This general will return on horseback in half a month to welcome you.”

Hearing this, Chu Ning thought of Ye Zhixia’s general persona and couldn’t help but smile slightly. “Mm! I’ll wait for you!”

–

The scenes set on the grasslands mostly revolved around the general fleeing with Miss Yun, meaning Xu Miaomiao had no part in them.

Because of this, Bai Xin and Kong Sen felt much more at ease. Xu Miaomiao had been stirring up trouble on set with her self-important antics, irritating the two of them endlessly.

Without a troublemaker around, the harsh filming conditions and physical exhaustion on the grasslands became far more bearable.

The entire crew filmed battle scenes on horseback under the scorching sun. After a few days, both actors and crew members teased each other about being tanned as dark as charcoal.

One ordinary afternoon, after lunch, the team’s enthusiastic netizen Xiao Jiao, as usual, browsed various websites on his phone for storytelling inspiration.

The moment he opened one site, he saw a top trending post with hundreds of replies.

Experience told him—this was definitely big news!

She eagerly opened the post to take a look, and the next second, Xiao Jiao muttered under her breath, “Holy crap!”

Ye Zhixia, who happened to be passing by, leaned over to glance at her phone and asked, “Big news?”

Seeing it was Ye Zhixia behind her, Xiao Jiao made no effort to hide or conceal anything and simply handed her the phone to see.

The post read: Famous director and rookie actress become on-set couple.

The body of the post didn’t name names, only stating that during the filming of a certain movie at the studio, the rookie actress playing the second female lead seduced the famous director, and the two hit it off immediately, becoming inseparable ever since.

The replies were already in an uproar, with people speculating about the identities of the director and the actress. Within just a few comments, someone suggested Kong Sen and Bai Xin—famous director, rookie actress as the second female lead—it all matched up.

Once the main subjects were identified, the comments below quickly turned into a heated debate.

–

As far as I know, Director Kong Sen isn’t married, right? Even if they really are dating, what’s the big deal?

–

Naive! Ever think about how this second female lead got the role? The original actress cast was Hao Ke’er. I bet she slept her way into it!

–

So-called on-set couples are just flings during filming. Once the shoot’s over, they pretend not to know each other—basically, you know what.

–

Directors exploiting actresses is way too common in this rotten industry.

The comments spiraled further off-topic, but most were attacks against Kong Sen and Bai Xin.

Without hesitation, Ye Zhixia pulled up the post on her own phone, then called Bai Xin and Director Kong Sen together and handed them the phone.

The two frowned as they read through the post and replies, then exchanged a glance, both knowing exactly who had posted it.

“On-set couple” was far from a flattering term. The post’s purpose was to steer public opinion toward framing their relationship as improper. Even if someone tried to defend them, the original poster could easily manipulate the narrative, turning the tide against them again.

Kong Sen was furious on the spot, itching to tear Xu Miaomiao apart. Back then, he had admired her acting skills and insisted on giving her a significant role.

Who would’ve thought she’d repay kindness with betrayal? Not only had she repeatedly caused trouble on set, but now she was stirring up drama online.

“She’s ruthless, so I won’t hold back either. Let’s report this to the police and sue her—drag her out into the open,” Director Kong snapped angrily.

But Bai Xin strongly objected, “No! Calm down. We can’t do that!”

Ye Zhixia also knew a hardline approach wouldn’t work, but this was Bai Xin’s chance to showcase her intelligence, so she didn’t interrupt.

Bai Xin spoke earnestly, “Director Kong, I’m not a coward. You’ve asked me before why I didn’t expose Xu Miaomiao when she played her little tricks on me.”

“It’s because this movie is the result of everyone’s hard work. I couldn’t let my personal grudge with Xu Miaomiao damage the reputation of the entire crew.”

She analyzed the situation methodically, “If we clash head-on with Xu Miaomiao, the movie hasn’t even been released yet, but the scandal will make headlines. That would be a devastating blow to our production!”

“If we report her to the police or sue her now, having a problematic actress in the film might even jeopardize its release!”

Only then did Director Kong calm down. Over the years, he’d suffered plenty from similar situations. Bai Xin’s reminder made him realize how impulsive his initial plan had been.

“Perhaps Xu Miaomiao dared to act this way precisely because of these reasons,” Ye Zhixia added.

Kong Sen gritted his teeth, the sound audible in the tense silence.

“So you’re saying there’s nothing we can do about her?” Kong Sen said angrily.

Ye Zhixia patted Kong Sen’s shoulders with both hands. “This isn’t the time for rash decisions. The most urgent matter is clarifying this scandal. As for Xu Miaomiao, we’ll have to deal with her privately later.”

Bai Xin still held the phone in her hand and glanced at it again. “This post only has a few hundred replies. Do we really need to rush to clarify?”

Ye Zhixia immediately dismissed her concern. “This is a notorious gossip hub in the entertainment industry. Don’t be fooled by the low engagement here—marketing accounts lurk here daily, waiting to repost these rumors. If there are eight hundred replies here, there could already be tens of thousands elsewhere!”

Now Bai Xin was also troubled. Without any solid evidence, if the subjects of the scandal stepped forward to say, “That’s not true,” it would come across as weak and unconvincing.

Logically, the burden of proof should fall on those spreading the rumors. But for the public, in the absence of evidence, conspiracy theories and salacious gossip are far more enticing.

In an entertainment industry flooded with lawyer’s letters, even police reports no longer carry enough weight. Worse still, they couldn’t even use legal means to punish the rumormongers behind this.

Kong Sen and Bai Xin fell into silence, momentarily at a loss.

Ye Zhixia let out a heavy sigh, then spoke to Kong Sen with unusual seriousness. “Director Kong, have you considered going public?”

Kong Sen immediately understood what Ye Zhixia meant, but the decision was far from trivial, and he hesitated. “Let me think about it.”

Though nothing was stated outright, Bai Xin’s intuition was sharp. She likely grasped the implication of their conversation, but since Kong Sen had never explicitly acknowledged it, she could only pretend not to know.

–

Fortunately, Kong Sen didn’t deliberate for too long. His hesitation wasn’t about whether to go public—but whether to do it now.

After finalizing the steps with Ye Zhixia that evening, he took out his phone and called his partner to share his decision.

The other person was deeply moved and told him how happy they were to finally be together openly. No matter what challenges lay ahead, as long as they faced them together, nothing else mattered.

Kong Sen logged into Weibo.

He stared at his profile—his last post had been to promote Love of a Millennium.

Though he had long been mentally prepared for this moment, when it came time to compose the post, he still spent nearly half an hour editing a single sentence.

He pressed “send,” and a new update appeared at the top of his feed:

Hello everyone, let me introduce my partner of the past ten years—and for the rest of my life—@Lin Shengyu.

The account he tagged reposted within seconds, adding: Nice to meet you, Mr. Kong.

The hashtag #DirectorKongSenComesOut instantly topped the trending list. Ye Zhixia, Bai Xin, and well-known actors who had starred in Kong Sen’s films all reposted the announcement with their blessings.

Of course, there were still some discriminatory remarks mixed in, but the overall response was positive.

Before long, however, some nosy “spectators” began analyzing:

Probably a fake coming-out to cover up the scandal about on-set affairs.

Replies in the thread supported the claim:

–

Kong Sen’s latest film, Millennium Love, is a niche romance genre, and word is it’s aiming for international awards. Feels like another publicity stunt.

–

Can we pass a law to lock up those who pull publicity stunts?

Of course, there were rebuttals too:

–

Judging by past cases of celebrities coming out, using it as a cover for on-set affairs carries significant risks.

–

Lin Shengyu seems like a well-known artist. If this is a fake coming-out, involving a celebrity is too big of an investment.

Just as Ye Zhixia found this comment particularly grating and was about to ask Kong Sen to delete the reply, she received an unexpected assist from a major player.

A self-proclaimed top-tier paparazzo in the industry released a video.

The footage looked dated, the image somewhat blurry.

But it was still clear enough to recognize the two main figures—Director Kong Sen and Master Lin Shengyu. In the video, the two were walking side by side when they noticed the paparazzo trailing them. Lin immediately tried to put distance between them.

But Kong Sen cast a cold glance at the paparazzo—then took Lin Shengyu’s hand.

The caption was uncharacteristically touching: In my years as a paparazzo, I’ve exposed scandals and announced happy news alike. Love is humanity’s most beautiful emotion—it shouldn’t be bound by identity, status, or gender. Yet society doesn’t fully understand such relationships. Today, Director Kong has gone public with his love. I offer my blessings and share this video in praise of his courage. May the world grow more tolerant.

Sure, the paparazzo’s timing was opportunistic, but the fact that he hadn’t leaked the footage earlier or used it to blackmail Kong and Lin spoke to some integrity.

So Kong Sen politely replied in the comments: Thank you for the blessings!

Ye Zhixia relaxed. No need to delete comments under Kong’s post now.

After the frenzy on Weibo, the rumors of an “on-set affair” naturally fizzled out.

Two nights later, Ye Zhixia received a call from Chen Chen.

“Xiaxia, can you talk right now?” Chen Chen asked cautiously.

Ye Zhixia was lounging in bed and answered lazily, “Yeah, go ahead, Chenchen-jie.”

But the other end still hesitated. “Are you alone?”

Hearing the tone, Ye Zhixia knew it must be something serious. She sat up, alert. “I’m alone in my room.”

Only then did Chen Chen relax slightly. “Has there been any talk in your crew about Director Kong and Bai Xin having an on-set affair?”

Ye Zhixia immediately decided to be upfront. After all, Xu Miaomiao couldn’t dodge this forever—giving the company a heads-up would let them prepare.

“Not only do we know about it, but Kong and Bai Xin also know Xu Miaomiao was behind it.” She laid out everything she knew.

A long silence followed on Chen Chen’s end.

The scandal hadn’t caused major damage, so she’d planned to let it slide. But if Kong Sen already knew, the company would have to give him an explanation—or risk future collaborations.

“I had someone look into the whistleblower privately and traced it back to Xu Miaomiao. How did you all find out?” she asked, puzzled.

Ye Zhixia shook her head helplessly at the air. “Xu Miaomiao didn’t just pull this one stupid stunt on set. The moment this scandal broke, Director Kong immediately figured out who was behind it. Sister Chenchen, you’d better start making plans for her early.”

Another stretch of silence came from the other end of the call.

In the end, Chen Chen only said, “I’ll discuss it properly with the boss,” before hanging up.

Ye Zhixia set down her phone and sprawled out on the bed in a starfish pose to relax.

A Thousand Years of Love was Kong Sen’s project aimed at winning awards. If Xu Miaomiao had just focused on finishing the shoot properly, landing supporting female roles in the film industry afterward would have been a sure thing. What on earth was driving her to keep stirring up trouble?

Inside the Chu family estate, Old Master Chu was holding a tablet, reading the news with a furrowed brow. After finishing the article about Kong Sen publicly coming out, he was visibly fuming.

“Is this the kind of immoral movie Chu Xiao invested in through Tianxing Entertainment?”

With that, he slammed the tablet onto the coffee table.

Chu Ning, who had been sitting nearby playing on her phone, tensed up at her grandfather’s displeased tone. Glancing at the news on the tablet, an inexplicable nervousness washed over her. Suddenly, memories surfaced—her mother taking her and her aunt to an amusement park when she was little.

The ringing of the landline snapped Chu Ning out of her thoughts.

The security guard announced Chen Jianhua’s arrival.

A few minutes later, Chen Jianhua was seated in the Chu family’s living room.

“Jianhua, what brings you here so late? Something urgent?” Old Master Chu asked kindly.

Chen Jianhua had rushed over immediately after receiving the news, not even stopping for a sip of water along the way. He gulped down the tea served by the maid, A Yao, before speaking hurriedly, “Mr. Chu, I’ve uncovered Tianheng’s true origins.”

Old Master Chu had already braced himself and motioned for him to continue.

Without hesitation, Chen Jianhua laid out his findings: “Over the past few days, I personally visited the address where Tianheng and his parents used to live. Finally, I found a neighbor who was familiar with them back then.”

“Turns out, Tianheng only came to live with that couple—who shared the surname Chu—when he was eight. Although they claimed they had brought him back from their hometown, none of the neighbors believed it. They said the couple had been praying to the Goddess of Fertility at temples every year—how could they suddenly have a son out of nowhere?”

Old Master Chu wasn’t surprised by this revelation, as he had already suspected as much.

But Chen Jianhua wasn’t finished. He took another sip of the freshly poured tea to wet his throat and continued, “That neighbor also mentioned that when the child was being registered for his household registration back then, someone drove them there.”

“The person who picked them up left a strong impression—someone with unusually yellow skin.”

Chu Ning lowered her gaze, avoiding Old Master Chu’s eyes.

All three people present knew exactly who that “unusually yellow-skinned person” referred to.

Secretary Jiang had suffered from liver problems since his youth, seeking treatment everywhere and relying on medication to stay alive.

Back then, lacking proper guidance, he had taken many wrong turns, consuming ineffective medicines. Since the liver metabolizes drugs, his condition only worsened over time.

Though modern medical treatments had since stabilized his condition, his skin remained permanently sallow—not the natural tone of East Asian skin, but closer to the color of iodine, unmistakably abnormal at a glance.

Chen Jianhua didn’t spell it out, stopping his account there. He then excused himself, citing urgent company matters, and bid farewell to Old Master Chu and Chu Ning.

Old Master Chu didn’t press him to stay, only reminding him to handle company affairs properly.

As Chen Jianhua drove away from the Chu estate, he muttered under his breath, “Little Chu Ning, now it’s up to your persuasion skills.”

Once again, only grandfather and granddaughter remained in the room.

Old Master Chu broke the silence first, testing the waters: “Do you think what your Uncle Chen said is credible?”

Chu Ning shook her head with an innocent expression. “Hard to say. I wasn’t there myself, so I can’t jump to conclusions. But Uncle Chen’s findings should be verifiable—Grandfather could always investigate again.”

What truly unsettled Old Master Chu was Chen Jianhua’s mention of the yellow-skinned person. Doubt had already taken root in his heart.

Even if this matter had nothing to do with Secretary Jiang, Chu Tianheng was selected for sponsorship at the age of nine. If his background before that was as unclear as Chen Jianhua had described, Secretary Jiang should have reported it to him as much as possible. Even if he didn’t report it at the time, he should have mentioned it when Chu Tianheng married into the Chu family.

“Do you think the person who forged Chu Tianheng’s identity could be Secretary Jiang?” Old Master Chu asked Chu Ning.

Chu Ning looked at Old Master Chu with sincere eyes. “Grandfather, you’ve never told me about Grandpa Jiang’s affairs before…”

Although Old Master Chu had never personally spoken to Chu Ning about the events of his youth, she had learned from other sources that Secretary Jiang and her grandfather had a very close relationship.

As a junior, it wasn’t appropriate for her to speculate about the affairs between elders, so she could only throw the question back to him.

After closing his eyes and thinking for a while, Old Master Chu finally began recounting the story from decades ago to Ye Zhixia.