Song Wennuan's appearance had, once again, become unsightly as she walked into the recording room.

Her recently-applied fine makeup had been ruined by the bout of crying she had just experienced. Her black eye liner had run off after mingling with her tears, thereby blackening the area beneath both of her eyes.

Her curly, long hair was messily strewn about her shoulders. Her skirt was also wrinkled and dusty from the long period of time she spent sitting on the floor.

From amongst these features, the most obvious was the streak of blood that streaked across her lips and the impression of palm prints on her white cheeks.

However, her appearance was all but invisible to Yu Yuntian's eyes. He wasn't concerned about anything other than his own situation.

His attention was entirely focused on how to persuade her to cut out his section of the recording.

Half-pleadingly and half-threateningly, he described the consequences of broadcasting the recording as it was, without editing it appropriately. He used the personal relationship between the Yu and the Song Families, and Song Beini's reputation as a bargaining chip to protect his own interests.

In the face of this huge crisis that loomed over and threatened to destroy his career, he finally tore off his mask of being a great and magnanimous painter, revealing his ugliest, and truest self.

Song Wennuan took the tissue that was handed to her by her cousin and wiped away the bloodstain from the corner of her mouth in silence.

It was painful, but the expression currently on her face was fierce.

How blind had she been to even associate with such a person? She was standing in front of him with blood on her lips, but he turned a blind eye to it all.

Is that what love is?

Her cousin was a heartless person, but at least he knew how to comfort her when she was down. This person was worse than her cousin!

The tenderness, thoughtfulness, consideration and infatuation he had displayed all this while, all of it had just been a disguise.

But then, as she suddenly recalled several memories, Song Wennuan felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

Yes, the place where they had met for the first time was Nini's school. Nini was dancing on stage and Yu Yuntian was sitting in the audience, intently watching the performance.

Under the cover of the darkness and the stage lights, Song Wennuan had immediately become fascinated with his gorgeous smile and affectionate eyes.

Now that she thought about it, who was that smile really for? Who was the source of his affection?

It was only after he learned that she was Nini's aunt that he took advantage of the situation and launched a passionate pursuit.

What kind of dirty purpose was hidden behind the pursuit?

Was it really because of 'love at first sight,' as he had said? Or was she just a bridge for him, offering him the opportunity and means to approach and ruin Nini?

Those step-by-step moves, which were full of ulterior motives, had lasted for nearly three years, ever since their first meeting! What would have happened in the future if she had continued to overlook this affection of his, or had even added fuel to the flames?

Song Wennuan didn't dare to think about it anymore.

Her stomach was churning, the gastric acid and bile mixing into a sludge of thick nausea and bitter remorse, it was so intense that it was almost about to gush out of her throat.

At this moment, the 'Yu Yuntian' in her eyes had completely lost his brilliant aura and warm nature, with any praise she had for him fading away, as he turned into a complete beast.

She gnashed her teeth, clenched her fist and couldn't stop herself from launching a hard punch at him when he said, "If you're stubborn, Nini will be nailed to the pillar of shame."

"The pillar of shame? It's not Nini who should feel ashamed, but you! You pervert!"

Yu Yuntian was punched so hard that he ended up staggering backwards a few steps. Then, he raised his fist to retaliate.

How could a man like him put on a facade of being a gentlemanly character when he didn't have any problem in 'beating women'?

Song Rui, who had silently come to a stand behind him, secured his wrists from behind his back and prevented him from moving. Despite Yu Yuntian having maintained his physique through exercise, and thus containing a strength that was nowhere near weak, he still couldn't break free of the grasp Song Rui had on him.

Song Wennuan grabbed this chance to punch his face a few more times, then swiftly lifted her knee and slammed it fiercely at a certain spot in his lower abdomen.

Fan Jialuo could vaguely hear the sound of eggs being broken. He tilted his head, stroked the corner of hill lips, and laughed quietly.

He seeded to be very happy as he listened to the chaos, as the hustle and bustle of life was being vividly described by the sound of this one-sided beating.

Yu Yuntian's shrill screams even ended up shaking down the dust that was coating the truss above. Ya Ya was worried that Song Wennuan's venting would result in someone's life being lost, so she pushed open the door to check on the situation.

What she discovered was the curled-up Yu Yuntian with his legs clamped tightly together, convulsing.

She withdrew in silence as she thought-You won't die without that thing. Nothing really happened. It's fine then...

"Alright, stop fighting. Sit down and have a good talk," Song Rui said, drawing a line to end the fight as he let go of Yu Yuntian.

Then, he pulled a sterile tissue out of his suit pocket and wiped his hands slowly, carefully and thoroughly.

He had a tendency towards cleanliness and didn't like to touch strangers, let alone someone like Yu Yuntian, who bore the stench of a foul-smelling beast all over his body.

As Song Wennuan was gasping for breath, her eyes shone with a ruthless light.

She was the type of person who had strong feelings. She could give everything for the people she loved and could destroy anything relating to those she hated.

If she had a knife in her hand, she would have unhesitatingly gotten rid of Yu Yuntian's sinful thing!

This once golden couple who had shared incomparable loving affections, now stood at opposite ends to each other.

"You want me to delete the clip as if nothing happened, just to save your face?!" Song Wennuan gritted her teeth and sneered. However, she also knew that even if her elder brother and sister-in-law came here in person, they too would agree with Yu Yuntian's proposal.

Because Yu Yuntian's fame was too great, the audience would undoubtedly be curious about his private life once this matter broke into the public sphere. They would go all out to explore the truth and falsity hidden within those words, would identify the ignorant lamb mentioned by Fan Jialuo, and would then expose those ugly crimes.

If this was a disaster for Yu Yuntian, it would be a devastating blow to Nini.

She was still too young to bear such a burden, and her life, which had not yet bloomed, would be completely destroyed under the gazes and criticisms directed at her by other people.

Those things, which had never happened to her in reality, would be twisted into something ugly in the imagination of others, and would then go on to become incurable wounds.

Her aunt could help her erase the trauma that exposing this incident would do. As long as she edited these clips out and issued a gag order, Nini would remain safe.

Thinking to this point, Song Wennuan's anger and regret were overlaid by the deeper affection she possessed for her niece. She had to behave rationally and swallow all of this hatred just for the sake of protecting her niece's future, even if she really didn't want to do so.

But, this was not something she could decide by herself. As the secondary party directly involved in this matter, Fan Jialuo also had the right to speak in this decision.

His abilities were so powerful that he would definitely be valued by the higher-ups once they were revealed. If he didn't want this section edited out, it would be useless even if she used the Song Family's reputation to put pressure on him.

What's more, was Fan Jialuo the kind of person who would bow his head in the face of oppression?

He's obviously not such a person!

All the people present clearly realized that if this video appeared on the Internet, the whole society would be shaken.

It would be a disaster for Nini and Yu Yuntian, but would be a blessing for Fan Jialuo.

He would become famous, and would be remembered, worshipped and believed by everyone. He would once again rise in popularity, and would gain wealth, fame and power that ordinary people couldn't even begin to imagine.

He would climb to the top of society with his unpredictable but amazing ability, crush the Fan Family who once abandoned him, and quickly change the fate that had once foreseen his downfall.

He had a thousand reasons to refuse Yu Yuntian's proposal, and no one would say that he had done anything wrong if he wanted the clip broadcasted. All he was doing was just exposing the true face of a beast.

Even if today's argument was put forth for public evaluation, how many bystanders would think that the program staff were doing the right thing?

This is condoning crime! Pedophilia is the maggot that the whole society is eager to eradicate!

Yes, Fan Jialuo needed this opportunity so much. He could regain everything he once lost with the airing of this segment alone!

It would press Yu Yuntian directly at his feet, and would become the strongest and most eye-catching stepping stone for him.

If he missed this opportunity, there would be no second one. What was the value of a child's reputation? Could it be compared with the bright future that was in front of him?

As Song Wennuan's thoughts ran wild, she couldn't help but look at Fan Jialuo with eyes full of pleading, while also carrying a faint sense of helplessness.

She had no chips in her hands to persuade him. There was no reason for him to help since Nini had nothing to do with him. His ability allowed him to be fearless.

If the details of this horrendous crime were exposed, Fan Jialuo would receive countless benefits, resources and private connections in the future, perhaps those holding even more significance than the Song Family!

For what reason should he let the program team do as they wanted?

If this matter reached Zhao Wenyan's ears, this person also possessed the ability to obtain a copy of the original video in his own way.

While Song Wennuan was thinking hard about what words she should put forth to convince him to help her, Yu Yuntian silently followed her line of sight and realized that Fan Jialuo was the one whose mouth needed to be sealed the most.

He immediately took out his checkbook and proclaimed boldly, "How much money do you want to settle this matter? Is five million enough? Fan Family's abandoned son, you shouldn't take this matter too seriously.

"The connections I possess are beyond your imagination. Believe it or not, just a word from me can make you vanish from the entertainment industry."

He handed the check to the blindfolded Fan Jialuo, but the latter refused to even touch that slip of paper. He raised his hand to cover his nose, as if that thing had a foul odor that would make him vomit.

Fan Jialuo smiled. "Believe it or not, if I make a call right now, you will be the first to disappear. Your secrets seem to be more than just this?"

This casual and lightly spoken sentence made Yu Yuntian instantly reveal a terrified expression. He panicked again. The check pinched between his fingertips trembled like the way fallen leaves did upon being blown by the autumn wind, rustling and swaying-representing a pungent satire.

Song Rui had anticipated this outcome from the very beginning. How amusing.

When Fan Jialuo was quiet, he would be really quiet, but when he became angry, he would show that he was really angry.

Hearing the confrontation taking place between the two people, Song Wennuan realized that Fan Jialuo seemed to be unwilling to cover up the matter.

Her heart, which had been left hanging high, dropped straight into the abyss.

But, the next second, she heard him say in a gentle voice, "Edit it out, for the sake of the child."

...What?

Song Wennuan couldn't believe her ears and looked at him eagerly, afraid that the words she had heard were only in her imagination.

"Edit it out. Don't broadcast it. The child's future is the most important," Fan Jialuo repeated with great patience.

Only then did Song Wennuan stiffly nod her head.

Tears fell from her eyes one after another, and they just wouldn't stop flowing. There was no other outlet for her to express her mixed emotions, for she was torn after witnessing both the ugliness of human desire, and the contrasting beauty and kindness of the human heart itself.

There was no shortage of bad people in this world, but there were also many good people, like the person in front of her!

She would be grateful to Fan Jialuo all her life, for his warning and for his timely amnesty!

"Thank you, thank you! Thank you very much, Mr. Fan!"

Song Wennuan sent a message to the program staff while wiping her tears, asking everyone not to mention the matter from just now, and to delete all the recorded content related to it.

No one raised any objections. Gimmicks, ratings and popularity- all these things were nothing compared to a child's future.

Seeing that the matter had been perfectly resolved without him having to pay a single yuan, Yu Yuntian finally laughed with satisfaction.

He stood up while straightening his clothes, which were now full of wrinkles, and spoke like a winner, "Song Wennuan, let's break up. From now on, the bridge will return to the bridge and the road will return to the road, and we will have nothing to do with each other.

"If you don't want the rest of Nini's life to be destroyed, you'd better behave nicely and make sure he does the same. I wield the paintbrush in my hand. Even if you take one of those paintings away, I can still draw hundreds of such paintings again."

"You're not a fuckin' human being!" Song Wennuan rushed up to punch him again, but was pushed away. Song Wennuan couldn't win against him without being aided by Song Rui.

The door of the recording studio opened and closed, and the man's footsteps as he walked away were loud and heavy, as if he was showing off his ability of being able to walk out of the situation unscathed.

As long as the glory of the talented painter remained untainted, as long as the Song Family still took Song Beini's reputation into consideration, he could continue on his own way.

Song Wennuan's body ached from heat and anger, but she had no way of dealing with this person.

The technical producer poked half of his head out from the crack of the door and whispered, "Sister Song, we edited that part from just now but we don't have enough content to fill up the time slot for the broadcast of this episode. What do you think we should do?"

"You wait. I'll be right there. Let's have a short meeting. It's not just that part that needs to be edited out, but also the part where I suspected Fan Jialuo of cheating and changed the content of the first test for him."

Speaking of this, Song Wennuan felt ashamed as she looked at Fan Jialuo, only to find that the other party simply curled his lips with indifference.

It seemed that all these changes and inside stories had been within his expectations.

The two people quickly called the staff members together for an emergency meeting, while the other contestants waited in other rooms, completely unaware of the things that had happened in the span of the hour that had passed.

Fan Jialuo continued to sit on the sofa, with his eyes covered by the thick, black cloth, making no move to ask the program team to untie it.

He seemed to be accustomed to the darkness, perhaps to the point that he would even feel more at ease within it.

Song Rui moved a chair closer and then sat opposite him, before speaking with a low voice, "Fan Jialuo, I once profiled you."

Fan Jialuo tilted his head slightly, motioning him to continue.

"I thought that you are a practitioner who didn't possess the seven emotions and six desires. You are someone who stands above the sky of this world and overlooks all living beings. In your eyes, all people are equal and dispensable. In a way, you and I are the same kind of people."

Fan Jialuo listened quietly and did not express an opinion.

Song Rui began to laugh lowly, before continuing, "But I just discovered that my analysis was wrong from the very beginning. You are not someone without emotions, on the contrary, it is precisely because your reasoning and sensibility are stronger than anyone else's that you appear so quiet and silent.

"I tend to be hostile to the world, while you are so kind to it. Your way is the way of many. Your way of integration is to place yourself into the dust, not on top of the mountain. I was truly so wrong!"

Song Rui then laughed very briskly. Any response and reaction given by Fan Jialuo on this would not be able to disturb his good mood at that moment.

The other person didn't even need to respond. Because, by just standing on the side and observing this person, his heart-which was always enraged, and had been long destroyed by the vulgarity and stupidity of the world-could obtain peace.

The world which he deeply hated, and which caused him to wallow in boredom, had become more and more interesting simply because of Fan Jialuo's existence in it.

Fan Jialuo put his hand against his chin and spoke unhurriedly, "I don't even know what kind of person I am myself, how could you know?"

"I'll find out slowly," Song Rui sighed in a low voice, but it was full of satisfaction.

While the two people were talking, Song Wennuan had already wrapped up the impromptu meeting.

She decided to let all the contestants perform a character appraisal test, so that Fan Jialuo's would not appear so very eye-catching. Under this arrangement, Fan Jialuo would also have to complete the mystery box identification test.

In this way, the audience would think that the program team had arranged two tests from the beginning, rather than them deliberately making things difficult for Fan Jialuo.

"Yes, if we change it like this, the airtime will be longer and things will also be more interesting. Let's do it." Song Wennuan waved the staff away and hid in the lounge to reapply her makeup.

With red eyes, Ya Ya helped her apply concealer and hide the red and swollen cheeks filled with palm prints.

As if she felt no pain, Song Wennuan said, "Private matters are private matters, business is business. After you leave my side, you have to remember, no matter how many difficulties you encounter in private and how bad your mood is, once you start working, you must take on and display your best form.

"To make a clear distinction between public and private matters-this is the number one rule in this workplace."

Ya Ya could only sob and nod.

...