The Scumbag Attackers Regretted It Deeply After My Death - Chapter 30

“Bang!”

Shen Mengjin was terrified by the Alpha’s outburst. She had never seen Jiang Nian’an fly into such a rage before, and she stood there trembling, her head bowed low.

“Go! Tell the presidents of those five magazines that if they ever spread rumors about me again, they will be making an enemy out of Jiang Nian’an! I’d like to see just how much courage they really have!”

Jiang Nian’an ground her teeth in fury. She wanted nothing more than to shut those five magazines down immediately to make an example of them—to let every media outlet in the Imperial Capital understand that her personal life was not something they were allowed to exploit.

The reason she hadn’t acted yet was because the magazine covers featured real photos taken when she and Yao Zhenzhen attended events together. The photos were authentic, and while they had never engaged in any intimate behavior, the headlines were entirely fabricated based on single snapshots!

These media outlets were truly too bold.

Startled, Shen Mengjin hurriedly responded. She leaned over to pick up the magazines scattered on the floor, but Jiang Nian’an frowned and barked, “Didn’t I tell you to go!?”

“Yes, yes… I’m going right now!”

Terrified, Shen Mengjin dropped the magazines she had just managed to grab. She didn’t dare stop to pick them up again and fled the CEO’s office in a panic.

Jiang Nian’an slumped into her chair, her expression grim. She suddenly reached down to pick up one of the magazines. Her dark, deep eyes fixed on a line of text in the corner of the cover: Yao’s Publishing House.

A cold, mocking smile crept onto her lips. She finally understood. No wonder Yao Zhenzhen was always proactively inviting her here and there—it had all been a conspiracy!

To think she once believed Yao Zhenzhen was pure and kind-hearted, treating her like a younger sister. It turned out she had been played for a fool the entire time.

Yao Zhenzhen knew that Jiang Nian’an never paid attention to gossip magazines or news. She exploited this to create a public narrative of an affair, ensuring that every time Yao Anna saw it, her heart would grow colder until she eventually gave up on Jiang Nian’an entirely.

Excellent!

Jiang Nian’an finally realized that the root cause of Yao Anna’s coldness and loathing toward her was her own misplaced trust in Yao Zhenzhen. She had brought this upon herself.

“Yao Zhenzhen…”

The Alpha’s voice was strained, dripping with resentment.

A question suddenly flashed through Jiang Nian’an’s mind: If Yao Zhenzhen was this calculating and deep, was she truly the person who had saved her life back then?

On the other side, Yao Anna finished her costume photoshoots. It was already one in the afternoon. She glanced down at her watch, her brow furrowing slightly. She walked over to Director Zou, who was busy reviewing the proofs.

“Director Zou,” she said softly, “I have some business to attend to. I need to head out for a bit.”

Director Zou was focused on the computer screen. He nodded with satisfaction and waved her off without looking back. “Go ahead. Don’t forget the official filming starts tomorrow. Get back to the hotel early to rest; don’t stay out too late.”

Yao Anna didn’t pay much mind to the warning. “Understood.”

With that, she turned and headed toward the dressing room. Because the changing rooms were occupied and she was in a hurry to get to the airport, she went straight into the makeup room and locked the door. After checking to ensure there were no cameras, she began to change.

Earlier that morning, after her manager Lin had left, Yao Anna received an overseas call. She learned that her mentor, Adams, was flying into the Imperial Capital this afternoon to visit her. He was only staying for one night before flying to Italy tomorrow. Yao Anna couldn’t hide her excitement.

Adams was a respected, prominent figure she had met by chance while studying in Country M. In truth, she was very interested in medicine. Had Yao Guangming not interfered, she could have attended the most prestigious medical school in the Imperial Capital and become a doctor. When she originally applied for university, she had been the top-ranked student in the province and received an admission notice from the Imperial Medical College.

Unfortunately, Yao Guangming couldn’t stand the sight of her and insisted on sending her to Country M. He called it “studying abroad,” but it was really just a way to get her out of his sight. During her first year there, a viral pandemic broke out. While volunteering as a medical worker, she happened to meet Adams. Seeing her natural talent, Adams made an exception and took her as his apprentice, teaching her everything he knew.

Looking back, Yao Anna actually had Yao Guangming to thank. If he hadn’t interfered, she never would have become the only closed-door disciple of the world-renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Adams.

She hadn’t seen Adams in three years. She had entered the entertainment industry immediately upon returning home, and Adams was incredibly busy, performing surgeries almost every day as his fame grew. Consequently, the mentor and student hadn’t found the time to meet.

Since her rebirth, things in this life had changed drastically. Perhaps due to the butterfly effect, she hadn’t seen her respected teacher once before her death in her previous life. Yet, in this life, Professor Adams had traveled thousands of miles just to catch up with her.

Was this the butterfly effect? Yao Anna didn’t know; she only hoped that the final ending could be rewritten.

Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door, followed by Rong Jingxi’s confused voice.

“Anna, are you in there?”

“Just a moment!”

By then, Yao Anna had finished changing. She set aside the high-quality white period costume and hurried to the door. She opened it, her breathing slightly hurried. “Are you finished filming?”

Rong Jingxi looked at Yao Anna’s slightly flushed cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat, and she smiled.

“Were you changing? No wonder the door was locked. I thought a thief had snuck in to steal something.”

Yao Anna smiled dismissively, knowing Rong Jingxi was only joking. She said calmly, “The changing rooms were full, and I’m in a rush to leave, so I borrowed our shared makeup room. You don’t mind, do you, Teacher Rong?”

“Of course not.” Rong Jingxi’s eyes were gentle, a far cry from her demeanor when she had confronted Manager Lin earlier. Hearing that Yao Anna was going out, she blinked curiously. “Are you going out on a date?”

Today was just the day for the cast to join the crew; the closed-set filming officially began tomorrow. Rong Jingxi was beautiful and outgoing, and she had quickly befriended the supporting cast. She had heard many actresses saying they were going out for a date or shopping to enjoy one last afternoon of freedom. So, when she heard Yao Anna was leaving, Jiang Nian’an was the first person who came to mind.

Although Jiang Nian’an had not held an official engagement ceremony yet, the news of the engagement between Yao Anna and Jiang Nian’an was no secret. Almost everyone in the entertainment industry knew about it.

After all, Jiang Nian’an was a top-tier figure in the Imperial Capital, and Yao Anna was the eldest daughter of the Yao family—one of the four great families. Now that she was in show business, she naturally attracted a lot of attention.

Yao Anna’s smile vanished, and her brow knit together. She felt irritated the moment she heard Jiang Nian’an’s name, let alone the idea of dating her.

Hah, don’t even think about it!

Go on a date with my enemy? I’d have to be insane!

“No, I’m going to the airport to pick up an old friend.”

A smile touched Rong Jingxi’s eyes. She found Yao Anna’s reaction to the mention of Jiang Nian’an quite interesting.

“I see. You should get going then.”

Yao Anna’s expression softened slightly. She nodded and walked straight out of the hotel.

Rong Jingxi quietly returned to the makeup room. She began to slowly remove her heavy black robes until her assistant, Xiao Xiang, pushed the door open.

“Jingxi, I brought lunch boxes. Let’s eat together?”

Xiao Xiang placed two boxes on the coffee table and plopped down on the somewhat uncomfortable sofa. She rested her chin on her hand, waiting for Rong Jingxi to finish changing.

“Sure,” Rong Jingxi replied, seemingly in a good mood.

Xiao Xiang opened the lid of the lunch box for the Alpha. Seeing how happy Rong Jingxi looked, she felt a bit puzzled. Wasn’t her boss’s face like a dark cloud just a moment ago? Especially when she was filming the costume photos with Yao Zhenzhen, her expression had been as black as the bottom of a pot. How did she become a different person in such a short time?

“Sis, what happened? Tell me, let me be happy too.”

Xiao Xiang leaned in with a gossiping look.

Rong Jingxi laughed and pushed Xiao Xiang’s silly face away. “Just eat your food! Since when did food stop being enough to keep your mouth shut?”

Xiao Xiang pouted. “Shared happiness is double the happiness.”

Rong Jingxi didn’t bother answering her. She picked up a piece of chicken and ate it, the smile in her eyes refusing to fade.

“You wouldn’t understand my happiness, nor can you share it.”

Seeing that Rong Jingxi had no intention of sharing, Xiao Xiang went back to her food. Just then, there was another knock at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Yao Zhenzhen, dressed in a green gown. She scanned the room, and seeing no sign of Yao Anna, her gaze landed on Rong Jingxi. She gave the Alpha a gentle smile.

It had to be said that Yao Zhenzhen had a face that was very good at deceiving people. She looked elegant, and her warm, almond-shaped eyes gave off a very pure impression.

Had she not followed the news about the role-stealing incident, Rong Jingxi might have been fooled by this pure exterior. She was pretty, but her heart was far too calculating.

The smile left Rong Jingxi’s eyes, replaced by a cool indifference. “Miss Yao, your sister isn’t here.”

Yao Zhenzhen froze for a moment, looking disappointed. She looked down at the box of sushi in her hands, appearing quite pitiable.

“That’s a shame. I wanted to give my sister some sushi, but since she’s not here…”

Yao Zhenzhen suddenly looked up at Rong Jingxi, her eyes brightening slightly. “Do you like sushi, Sister Rong? Why don’t I give it to you instead?”

Rong Jingxi raised an eyebrow, her gaze calm and entirely unimpressed.

“No thanks.”

Yao Zhenzhen took two steps forward, intending to place the sushi on the coffee table. Suddenly, a hand blocked the bottom of the box. Rong Jingxi looked into Yao Zhenzhen’s stunned eyes and frowned with impatience.

“I said no. Did you not hear me, Miss Yao?”

Yao Zhenzhen seemed shocked by her harshness. Her eyes welled with tears as she whispered aggrievedly, “I just wanted to give it to you…”

“But the thing I hate most in this world is sushi.”

The Alpha’s voice was low and icy, laced with irritability and a lack of patience.