The Female Lead's Fabrication

As a well-bred daughter of a wealthy family, Qiao Wan was furious, but she couldn’t bring herself to curse. Her face flushed red. What was this supposed to be? Even if Xu Chun and Cousin Zhaolie never officially formalized their engagement, that didn’t mean she could just claim her as family, all right?

And besides, neither of them had said a word about canceling the engagement, and Aunt Qin Yao was very satisfied with Xu Chun. She had clearly accepted Xu Chun as her daughter’s fiancée. So for these people to stir up rumors about her just for the drama—weren’t they basically wishing her an early death?

Qiao Wan fixed Xu Chun with a resentful look. Under that glare, Xu Chun felt a twinge of guilt. Then it registered that the other woman had just pointed at her and called her “cousin-in-law.” She blinked, her voice uncertain. “...Cousin?”

Where had that connection come from?

Out of nowhere, her scandal partner had turned into Jiang Zhaolie’s cousin? And Yu Sui’an didn’t even know?

Xu Chun’s bewildered expression was caught by the audience. Some immediately sneered. 【LMAO, if Xu Chun’s team is going to whitewash her, can they at least put in some effort and get the script straight beforehand?! This mistress says she’s Jiang Zhaolie’s cousin—what, weren’t Xu Chun and Jiang Zhaolie childhood sweethearts? How could she have known her for so many years and not even recognize her cousin?】

【I’ve got this one. This cousin is actually a distant relative of Jiang Zhaolie’s; that’s why I haven’t seen her in twenty years.】

【Hey up there, how dare you steal the answer! You’ve said all the lines she was going to use. Now she doesn’t even know how to talk her way out of it.】

【You guys are too mean. You’ve stolen every bamboo shoot in the world, and now the pandas are going to starve!】

【I’d call this the funniest failed whitewash of the year.】

After figuring out how she was connected to the other woman, Qiao Wan’s resentment faded considerably. After all, even she—Jiang Zhaolie’s own cousin—hadn’t known about this connection; how could Xu Chun, a fiancée Jiang Zhaolie neither accepted nor liked, possibly have figured out the ins and outs? In this whole mess, there were only two villains: the unscrupulous media outlets spreading rumors for clicks and traffic.

The other was Yu Sui’an, quietly pulling strings behind the scenes and smearing her and Xu Chun without mercy.

Qiao Wan could understand Cousin Zhaolie not wanting to bow to feudal garbage like marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers. But if she wanted to pursue true love, she should at least settle the engagement she already had first. And even if Cousin Zhaolie wanted to chase true love, she should open her eyes and not let some outside woman fool her into turning her back on her own family.

Yu Sui’an looked young, but she had more twists and turns in her head than an ant colony has tunnels. If she were a few years older, Cousin Zhaolie would probably get sold off and still help count the money.

Qiao Wan suddenly felt a bit sorry for Xu Chun. Xu Chun’s own fiancée had gotten tangled up with her ex, fine, whatever. But the two of them had even teamed up on a live show to humiliate her and leave her without a shred of dignity. So Qiao Wan asked Xu Chun, perfectly seriously, “Cousin-in-law, what exactly were you hoping to get out of joining this show?”

Xu Chun was suddenly at a loss for words.

She hadn’t wanted to either! In the original text, this show had never invited Xu Chun at all. It was only after Xu Chun learned Yu Sui’an would be participating as a single guest that she begged her manager to fight for a spot, no matter what. The manager had no choice but to swallow her pride and call in old favors with the director, hoping he’d give Xu Chun a chance.

The director hadn’t wanted to agree at first—in this relationship, Yu Sui’an wasn’t the one at fault; she could even be called the victim. So inviting Yu Sui’an was safe and guaranteed to bring buzz. But Xu Chun was different. If anything went even slightly wrong, he could get a warning from above and be summoned for a talk, and the show could be mercilessly axed.

But the director wasn’t the cautious type; he liked taking risks. So when he thought about the massive traffic putting this former couple on the same stage would bring, he was tempted. High risk meant high reward. It was worth a gamble.

If the show succeeded, his standing in the industry would be extraordinary. So after just one night of thinking, the director said yes to the manager.

When the original host found out, she was so excited she couldn’t sleep for several nights. During those days she came up with countless ways to win Yu Sui’an back. Unfortunately, her feelings were one-sided. Yu Sui’an had no intention of reconciling whatsoever. So the original host’s clingy behavior on the show only further provoked Yu Sui’an’s fans and the audience, dragging Xu Chun’s reputation further and further down.

Yu Sui’an’s team seized the opportunity and flooded the entire internet with press releases, twisting the truth, and within a few days they’d stomped Xu Chun into the mud. In the end, she was utterly disgraced. No matter what she said, no one believed her, while Yu Sui’an won massive sympathy as the victim and her career sailed smoothly from then on.

Xu Chun, the poor unlucky soul who had taken on this mess against her will, fell silent for a long moment, then let out a faint sigh. “Maybe... I was just a little bit out of my mind.”

Qiao Wan: “?” If your brain’s waterlogged, just say it’s waterlogged. What’s with this ‘out of my mind’ business?

She glanced at Xu Chun twice, her expression complicated. “Well then, cousin-in-law, you can stay here. I have things to do, so I’m leaving.” Qiao Wan had no interest in getting mixed up in this mess; right now she just wanted to stay as far from the internet as possible. At that, Xu Chun quickly called after her, “Cousin, let’s exchange contact info first!”

She was Jiang Zhaolie’s relative, after all; who knew, they might meet again someday.

Qiao Wan wished she didn’t even know Xu Chun, so of course she wasn’t about to add her as a friend. Xu Chun sighed in regret and had to ask instead, “Then what’s your name?” When Qiao Wan narrowed her eyes at her in warning, Xu Chun flashed a bright, radiant smile, looking utterly innocent. “I should at least know who my benefactor is, right?”

The woman’s delicate smile was dazzling. Golden sunlight fell over her, catching in her hair like scattered starlight. Bathed in that soft, luminous glow, she looked whole and utterly unreal. Qiao Wan’s mind went blank for an instant. When she came back to herself, something unnatural flickered across her face and vanished in a flash. “Qiao Wan.”

She tossed out the name and left. Xu Chun repeated it softly, her voice clear and cool, and when she lifted her fine, thick lashes again, her smile had grown even brighter. “Thank you, Miss Qiao. Let’s have a meal together sometime when you’re free.”

Whether it was her imagination or not, after she said that, Qiao Wan seemed to walk even faster, as if she wished she could sprout two extra legs and run.

【Ugh, I don’t even know what to say about Xu Chun. If you’re going to whitewash yourself, at least get the other actor’s name straight, right? Otherwise, getting exposed like this—isn’t it awkward?】

【Is there any chance Xu Chun genuinely doesn’t know Jiang Zhaolie’s cousin? They’re only engaged, not married. If you got engaged to your girlfriend, would you be able to recognize all her relatives?】

【But didn’t someone keep saying she and Jiang Zhaolie were childhood sweethearts? If they’ve known each other for over twenty years, she should know exactly what cousins the other has, right?】

【Going by what the person above said, if I grew up with my girlfriend, then I’d have to know how many pairs of underwear her distant relatives own?】

【That’s sophistry!】

The comments quickly descended into a fight. Some joined the fray; others watched from the sidelines. It was a fine mess of chaos. The moment Xu Chun’s manager saw her surrounded and chased by Yu Sui’an’s fans, she nearly had a heart attack. She stared at the livestream on her phone while making several calls, her face expressionless. When she saw Xu Chun return safely, she stopped what she was doing, pulled Xu Chun to a corner away from the cameras, and asked, “Scared?”

“No.” Xu Chun shook her head. She’d already had a kidney harvested. What kind of big scene hadn’t she seen? The manager let out a breath. “Good that you’re not scared. Keep filming; I’ll handle the rest.”

“But—” The manager took two steps, then came back. “Is she really your... no, Jiang Zhaolie’s actual cousin?”

“Probably.” Xu Chun blinked, her lips curving into an innocent smile. “Since she said so in front of tens of millions of viewers, even if she wasn’t, she has to be now.”

Manager: “…” You really are something.

She thought for a long time, couldn’t come up with a fitting adjective, and set it aside for the moment. There was still a lot to handle, and this was a golden opportunity—if she played it right, she could wipe out the rumors of Xu Chun’s cheating in one stroke and restore her reputation.

Soon, Xu Chun’s agency issued a stern statement and legal notice online and simultaneously sued the dozens of bloggers who’d spread the rumors most enthusiastically and whose posts had been shared over a thousand times. The lawyer they retained was a famous heavyweight in the industry with virtually no losses. The bloggers who were sued initially thought the agency was just playing around, but when they actually got calls from the court, the whole group panicked.

As more and more feedback came in through the PR group chat, those who’d been paid less couldn’t withstand the pressure and publicly posted apologies on Weibo. Once one person started, the number of apologizing bloggers multiplied. They scrambled one after another, as if terrified that being a step late would land them in court.

Xu Chun’s few fans wept with joy. They knew their idol had been wronged! All of this was clearly that vixen Yu Sui’an’s frame-up!

But some weren’t buying it, especially Yu Sui’an’s fans. 【Making it look so real, I almost believed it.】

【Haha, isn’t it a bit late to whitewash now? I wonder how much Xu Chun paid those bloggers to make those greedy wild dogs bow their noble heads.】

【You’d have to ask Yu Sui’an that—how much did she pay them to frame Xu Chun by any means necessary? They genuinely liked each other once; I just don’t understand why Yu Sui’an had to destroy her completely.】

When He Qingli got the news, she hurried out of the kitchen. After a few quick words of concern, she asked, “Sister Xu, what do you plan to do about those rumor-spreading bloggers online?”

Everyone wanted to know—after all, Xu Chun’s answer now could indirectly confirm whether she’d truly been wronged or was just playing tricks to fool the audience.

Xu Chun’s lashes trembled slightly; her pale lips curved into a smile. “Of course—”

“Not a single one gets off.” She said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “If I sue them all, that’s tens of millions in compensation!” That was two or three months of her salary.

Audience: “…”

He Qingli: “…”

Only you.

Xu Chun’s answer made He Qingli breathe a sigh of relief. Since her idol had been wronged, it was only a matter of time before she turned things around. “But how did you get separated from them?”

She’d been busy in the kitchen just now and hadn’t noticed the commotion in the livestream room until she heard the other guests mention it. Then she’d rushed over in a panic, only relaxing once she saw with her own eyes that Xu Chun was fine. Just as He Qingli finished asking, a black sedan slowly pulled into the guesthouse driveway. Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui’an got out one after the other, both looking unhappy.

“Sister, are you okay?” The moment she got out of the car, Yu Sui’an scanned for Xu Chun. Her worried, anxious look was so convincing that even Xu Chun almost fell for it. Xu Chun couldn’t help but marvel, “This year’s Best Actress is definitely hers.”

He Qingli nodded in deep agreement, then changed tack. “Actually, Sister Xu, you’re not bad either.”

Xu Chun, suddenly stabbed in the back by her own fangirl: “?”

Really?

“I’m fine.” Xu Chun turned back and brushed Yu Sui’an off with a few perfunctory words. Yu Sui’an didn’t mind the brush-off; her expression didn’t change. Instead, Jiang Zhaolie cut in, “After you got separated from us, how did you get back?”

Xu Chun couldn’t tell for a moment whether she genuinely didn’t know or was pretending not to. Crossing her arms, she pulled her lips into a smile that showed teeth but no warmth. “How did I get back? Naturally, your little cousin was kind enough to give me a ride.”

“My cousin?” Jiang Zhaolie furrowed her brow. “Which cousin of mine?”

“You’re asking me about your own cousin? How many other good cousins are you hiding from me out there?”

As Jiang Zhaolie listened, something started to feel off—the way the other woman said it made it sound like she’d been fooling around outside. When it registered, her heart dropped, and she quickly turned to Yu Sui’an. “Suisui, it’s not like that.”

I didn’t. I wouldn’t. She’s fabricating things out of thin air to sabotage me!