Chapter 22: It’s done, let’s go.
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
Before An Bu could take action, the online world had already exploded.
Bei Mengla was being scolded by netizens, despite her desperate “clarifications”; she couldn’t salvage her reputation. In the end, she threw caution to the wind, shouting in a last-ditch effort, “All the so-called evidence can be faked! Let that girl confront me face to face and see who the real hero is!”
When this statement came out, quite a few fans were indeed shaken. Many expressed that the parties involved should come forward and clarify. It seemed inappropriate to condemn Bei Mengla without even meeting face-to-face. What if they wronged someone, and ended up being embarrassed again?
The online calls for the girl to come forward grew louder. They all hoped for a clear resolution to the matter.
“Having second thoughts?” Jian Ningxuan saw An Bu hesitating and asked.
An Bu: “I don’t want to be famous; it’s too troublesome.”
“Actually, I have a way. It can confront Bei Mengla face-to-face without revealing your identity.”
“Oh?” An Bu curiously asked, “Tell me, what’s the method?”
Jian Ningxuan narrowed his eyes and slowly said, “You do it like this…”
The next day, a person named “Anonymous Hero” posted a message on Bei Mengla’s official Weibo: [I’m here, October 21st, 9 o’clock, Wild Lake on the highway, don’t be late.]
To enhance the credibility of this message, Jian Ningxuan also helped An Bu make a public announcement on various online media.
In no time, everyone was excited. The location was set at the place of the initial accident, clearly intending to create a spectacle!
Bei Mengla was already in a difficult situation and had to continue to tough it out. However, she didn’t sit idly. She secretly hired a group of people to closely monitor the blue Oma heading to the accident site that day, attempting to create a car accident and block the road.
To her chagrin, due to the widespread attention on this matter, many people purchased the same model of blue Oma as seen in the video. It was because of this that Liu Waner mocked her for “following the trend” when she first saw An Bu.
In fact, when the agreed-upon day arrived, there was no need for the orchestrated action planned by Bei Mengla. The country road was already jammed with people who came to witness the event.
Because Bei Mengla arrived two hours early, she avoided being caught in the traffic.
Watching the endless stream of cars, Bei Mengla secretly prayed that the girl wouldn’t show up, or at least be late by an hour or two. That way, she could righteously use the other party’s breach of contract as an excuse, avoiding the awkward confrontation.
Within a thirty-meter radius by the lake, guarded by security ropes, the outside was densely packed with people.
As the appointed time approached, the crowd became increasingly impatient. Many people craned their necks, eagerly anticipating the appearance of the heroic girl from the incident.
At this moment, a worn-out motorcycle maneuvered through the gaps in the traffic, slowly approaching. No one paid attention to this motorcycle that should have been sent to the junkyard until it clattered to the edge of the security rope. Then, a graceful figure dismounted from it.
A security guard approached, ready to ask her to step back. However, upon removing her helmet, he closed his mouth.
The reason was simple: the girl wore a mask covering most of her face, precisely the area where the heroic girl was injured.
As the girl crossed the security rope and walked towards Bei Mengla by the lake, excited screams erupted from the crowd. Journalists immediately raised their cameras, snapping away enthusiastically.
The girl was dressed in a blue outfit that outlined her graceful figure, her long hair tied into a ponytail. Holding her helmet in hand, she approached Bei Mengla step by step.
At the moment she appeared, Qiao Nuo, standing in the crowd, had already recognized her identity. An excited smile involuntarily appeared on his face.
“D*mn, just looking at her back, I’m already falling for her!”
“Never expected her to ride a motorcycle over here.”
“This entrance, this charisma, I give it a 99. Deducting 1 point to prevent her from being too proud.”
“I suspect that motorcycle is a high-tech product. No, I need to touch it!”
“Count me in!”
A group of people rushed towards the location where the motorcycle was parked, reaching up one by one. The nearby security guards couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up, “Stop touching; if you keep going, it’s going to fall apart.”
On the other side, An Bu had already walked up to Bei Mengla, smiling, “I’m here.”
Bei Mengla subconsciously avoided her gaze but then raised her chin, shouting, “Everyone online says I’m impersonating you. What evidence do you have to prove that you are the one who saved people?”
An Bu tossed her helmet aside, walked to the edge of the lake, and said, “Let’s prove it with facts. We’ll both go underwater and hold our breath for 2 minutes.”
Bei Mengla’s face turned pale. Although she had recently learned to swim, she was only at a basic level. Making her hold her breath for 2 minutes was impossible, especially in the chilly autumn water. How could she endure it?
“Let’s do it!” The crowd immediately urged. “The girl who saved people held her breath for over 2 and a half minutes underwater.”
Gritting her teeth, Bei Mengla thought, dead if I do, dead if I don’t. It’s better to face it and see what happens. If she successfully holds her breath for 2 minutes, or the other party makes a mistake, what then?
“Fine, I’ll compete with you.” This statement earned Bei Mengla a round of applause.
To ensure fairness, each selected a person from the onlookers as a referee to measure the time. Two security guards were also ready to handle any unexpected situations.
Bei Mengla started moving her limbs, but An Bu remained still.
The temporary referee on the side couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you going to do some warm-up exercises?”
An Bu replied, “I did it when I rode the motorcycle just now.”
Two minutes later, Bei Mengla was ready. Under the referee’s command, both went underwater simultaneously.
The onlookers held their breath, and the scene unexpectedly fell into silence.
60 seconds, 70 seconds, 80 seconds, 90 seconds… Time passed exceptionally slowly. When the last 30 seconds remained, neither of them had come up.
The crowd began to shift uneasily. Some worried that an accident might have occurred, while others wondered if both of them passed the test, who was the real hero?
Under the water, An Bu floated lightly, watching the death energy continuously emanating from Bei Mengla, who was desperately holding her breath and refusing to emerge. An Bu couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Was face and vanity more important than life itself?
“Only 10 seconds left!” At this moment, the shout of the temporary referee came from the shore, followed by the tense countdown, “…5, 4, 3…”
When the “0” sounded, there was a splash, and An Bu’s masked face appeared in everyone’s sight, but Bei Mengla was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s Bei Mengla?” Many people couldn’t help but ask.
An Bu flipped back into the water and, in a moment, pulled the seemingly lifeless Bei Mengla onto the shore.
At this point, she had entered a state of pseudo-death, breathless. Without the need for the bodyguards to act, An Bu began to perform first aid on her. The scene resembled the earlier rescue, and at this moment, the true and false heroes were instantly clear.
“Cough, cough.” Bei Mengla suddenly spat out a large mouthful of water, clutching her chest and breathing rapidly.
An Bu stood up, looking coldly at her. “How does the taste of death feel?”
Bei Mengla’s face was pale, lips bruised, shivering all over. Tears involuntarily rolled down her cheeks as she covered her face, sitting on the ground and crying silently.
Her stardom had come to an end.
For the sake of false fame, she had abandoned all moral boundaries. Was it really worth it?
Rather than punishing such a pitiful person, An Bu thought it would be more enjoyable to go home and feed her pet cat master.
Looking around at the excited crowd, An Bu raised her hand and said, “Remember my nickname: Only Save Lives, Doesn’t Leave a Name.”
Having said that, she leaped into the lake again, to the bewilderment of the onlookers, swimming like a swordfish to the other side of the lake, where a blue Oma was parked on the small road. A man reached out, pulled the girl ashore, wrapped her in a towel, helped her into the back seat of the car, and then drove away.
Onlookers: What the heck, she’s just leaving like this? Truly “Doesn’t Leave a Name”!!!
On that afternoon, major media outlets reported the incident. Forums, Weibo, Facebook – they were all buzzing. The undeniable truth was that Bei Mengla had become a laughingstock, but it also left people feeling somewhat pitiful for her.
“Jiangshan Beauty” also faced a blow because of her. Ji Siqi, infuriated, immediately fired her from the cast. Her entertainment company publicly declared that this matter was entirely planned privately by Bei Mengla and her agent, with no knowledge from the company’s upper management. Netizens sarcastically commented: Hero of the handsome guys.
At the same time, the beauty salons, advertisements, and endorsements that Bei Mengla had patronized all faced strong criticism and boycotts from netizens. She herself would also be subjected to substantial compensation claims. As for Huang Kaiping, who had been imprisoned for intentional harm, he was indeed released, but his days ahead wouldn’t be easy.
The phrase “Only Save Lives, Doesn’t Leave a Name” became a trending statement, exuding a sense of independent and carefree detachment, making people admire the girl who only showed half of her face even more. As for the dilapidated motorcycle left behind by An Bu at the scene, enthusiastic crowds dismantled it into parts and took them home for collection. So, intentionally riding a second-hand motorcycle to the appointment was evidently premeditated.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, An Bu, in the name of an investor, promoted “City of Unrivaled Beauty,” significantly increasing its popularity. In comparison to “Jiangshan Beauty,” the low-profile “City of Unrivaled Beauty” rose abruptly.
Compared to a few days ago, the current atmosphere on the set of “City of Unrivaled Beauty” was uplifting and full of fighting spirit.
Zhang Tingnan believed that this incident was definitely orchestrated by their investor behind the scenes, overturning the opponent without making a sound. This made him have a new understanding of their strength, and he became more confident about the future of this drama. After all, it’s easier to thrive with a solid support.
“Are you happy today?” Jian Ningxuan saw An Bu decorating a cake with various colors of cream, looking relaxed and content.
“When am I not happy?” An Bu put away the decorating tool, licked the cream off her fingers, and, as always, found it tasteless.
Jian Ningxuan walked over. “Can I taste it?”
“Of course.” An Bu pointed to a row of cakes on the table. “Help yourself.”
Jian Ningxuan picked up a cherry-flavored cupcake, scooped a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. It was smooth, sweet, and had a refreshing coolness lingering on the tongue.
As An Bu watched him eat with seriousness and sincerity, a peachy glow honestly radiated from his body. It seemed like her heart also sweetened along with him. Indeed, observing her cat shining and warming up at home is more healing~~
After wiping her hands, An Bu glanced at the electronic scale nearby. With a thought in her mind, she waited for Jian Ningxuan to finish eating and called out, “Mr. Jian, come over and weigh yourself.”
Jian Ningxuan obediently stood on the electronic scale, and the number swiftly stopped at 78.5.
“Mr. Jian, you’ve gained 8 kilograms this month.” An Bu earnestly reminded, “You should start controlling your diet.”
Jian Ningxuan: She cooks delicious food for him every day, and she still dares to talk about controlling his diet?
“En, I’ll create a vegetarian meal plan for you later.” An Bu placed the finished cake into the kitchen.
While she wasn’t paying attention, Jian Ningxuan quietly lifted his shirt and glanced at his abs. It seemed like he did gain a bit of flesh…”
An Bu thought Jian Ningxuan was too much of a homebody, always staying indoors. She still had so many varieties of food to feed him. If he only ate and didn’t exercise, he would sooner or later become a chubby guy. Not so pleasant to look at.
Thinking about this, An Bu turned back and shouted to Jian Ningxuan in the living room, “Mr. Jian, would you like to go cycling with me tomorrow morning?”
“Hmm?” Why suddenly go cycling again?
“We’ll ride all the way to the vineyard, then pick grapes together, have a farmhouse meal, go fishing, barbecue, and even buy locally brewed wine from the residents.” An Bu looked at him with sparkling eyes, “What do you think?”
Meeting her expectant gaze, Jian Ningxuan reservedly said, “Since you sincerely invited me, then let’s go.”
<Previous Chapter<Table of Contents>Next Chapter>
