Chapter 172 - 163: See You on Sunday

As Ni Bingyan’s life got back on track, things were only getting worse for Chaotianmen Dog, the one who had spread the rumor about her being married with a child.

Because his exposé was proven false, netizens were tearing him to shreds. No matter what he posted, their first reaction was always, "Oh, the liar is showing his face again. Isn’t he afraid of getting thrown in jail!"

As for comments like "your mom should drop dead for spreading rumors," Big Dog had been in the business for so many years that he’d heard it all before. The words were like water off a duck’s back.

Besides, his mom had passed away a long time ago. She couldn’t very well die a second time.

What really stung, however, was that many people had started to doubt his professionalism.

"They’re asking if I’ve still got it? Me! A man! How could I not have it?! So I got a little antsy and posted without verifying! Next time, I’ll definitely investigate thoroughly and only post when I have solid proof! I refuse to believe it! A woman in the entertainment industry with absolutely no dirt on her? Ugh! It’s so infuriating!"

Big Dog slammed his beer bottle down, his face red as he pounded the table, looking like a man making a solemn vow.

Ni Bingyan was holed up on set and never came out. After staking the place out for days and coming up with absolutely nothing, a dejected Big Dog returned to Beijing.

Humans are social creatures. Anyone with any kind of social life is bound to have a few friends.

Big Dog was no exception.

When he first came to the capital to make a living, he rented a place with a group of guys from his hometown who were around the same age. Over time, they grew close. Even after they had all found their footing in the city and moved out of that first basement apartment, they still found excuses to get together from time to time.

On this particular night, one of the buddies, a delivery guy, was celebrating his birthday and had invited the gang out for hot pot.

Tucked away in a small alley, inside the Yu Ren Hot Pot Restaurant with its old, faded sign, the group got a private room. They complained about their recent work troubles while swishing tripe in the boiling broth.

Big Dog was probably having the worst time of them all. He chugged a bottle of beer and immediately started venting, which led everyone to ask him what was wrong.

"Who else? It’s that Ni Bingyan... Ugh!"

Once he got going, Big Dog laid out the whole story of his feud with Ni Bingyan.

"You can’t really blame her for that! The last time you got locked up for a few days, it wasn’t because she called the cops. It was because you violated CCTV’s non-disclosure agreement by leaking the show’s content early. CCTV was the one who got you thrown in there! Why are you so fixated on Ni Bingyan?" one of them asked, confused.

"Yeah, compared to all those seductive starlets, she’s a rare, decent person. Why do you have to make things difficult for her?"

This came from someone who had a rather good impression of Ni Bingyan.

By now, they were halfway through their meal and most of the guys had drunk a fair bit. Their faces were flushed with alcohol, and now that they’d landed on a topic everyone was interested in, the conversation was getting more and more animated.

Seeing that his buddies didn’t agree with him, Big Dog thought to himself, ’This vixen with the surname Ni really has some skills. It seems like everyone has a good opinion of her.’

But their brotherly bond was strong, so there was no need to hold back. "Maybe it’s because I’ve been in this line of work for too long," Big Dog said, "but I have this gut feeling that if I keep my camera on her, I’ll never have to worry about my next meal."

"Haha, if your gut feelings were that accurate, you’d have struck it rich long ago!"

Enduring his friends’ laughter, Big Dog set down his empty bottle, bent over to grab another from the crate, and with a PSST, popped the cap off with his teeth.

"Believe it or not, I believe it! Come on, I don’t have work tomorrow, so tonight, I’m drinking ’til I’m happy!"

The buddies hadn’t seen each other in a long time. It was a rare get-together, so how could they refuse?

Some poured their drinks into glasses while others chugged straight from the bottle. Just as they were about to clink their glasses, Xiao Hui, the one who worked in housekeeping, spoke up.

"The Ni Bingyan you guys are talking about... is she the one who just won the Huabiao Film Queen award a while back?"

Among the friends, Xiao Hui was the youngest and the least articulate, always sounding a little hesitant whenever he spoke.

Big Dog always looked out for his little bro. Seeing him speak up for a change, he picked up a cooked slice of spicy beef with his chopsticks and put it in Xiao Hui’s bowl, encouraging him to speak his mind.

’He always just sits in the corner stuffing his face. You can’t get a peep out of him. How boring is that!’

"Who else could it be? People in her line of work rarely have the same name. Besides, her name is so unique, there can’t be a second one."

It was just casual conversation, but then Xiao Hui spoke up hesitantly, "Didn’t I tell you guys before? Last year, I was working for a high-end housekeeping company. I quit because of all the bizarre requests. I think the time specified in my confidentiality agreement is up now... I’ve collected a ton of gossip, and one piece is about that Ni Bingyan."

Xiao Hui’s previous company specialized in serving the wealthy. And who doesn’t love to hear gossip about the rich?

Instantly, his buddies all urged him to hurry up and tell them!

Big Dog, especially, loved hearing gossip. The moment he heard there was dirt on Ni Bingyan, he immediately pulled out his voice recorder!

"Come on, come on! I’ll give you a cut of the money from the story. Just give me all the details!"

Compared to the talkative Big Dog, Xiao Hui was used to being a silent listener. It was his first time being the center of attention, and he was a little unused to it.

But that incident had been the talk of his company for a long time back then. He knew the story inside and out, so telling it was no effort at all.

Since he could help his Brother Dog now without any legal risk, why would he hold back? He took a sip of his drink and began to recount the tale.

"It was last summer, maybe June or July. One night, late, our boss got a massive order..."

Listening to the dirt Xiao Hui was dishing, Big Dog’s hand, holding the voice recorder, was trembling!

Purely from excitement!

Talk about searching high and low for something, only to have it fall right into your lap! This was it!

’All those years of me being good to you weren’t for nothing!’

’Oh, Xiao Hui!’

’You really are my dear little brother!’

"Moving in the middle of the night? Buying a house overnight? Is it that explosive? And a secret relationship for several years? I knew it! These female celebrities have countless pursuers. How could she possibly stay single?"

Big Dog slapped his thigh in frustration. "And she said she’d tell her fans if she was ever in a relationship! She dated someone for years and then broke up, and the fans never knew a thing! What a liar! I have to expose her!"

After hearing Xiao Hui’s story, the two who had spoken up for Ni Bingyan earlier fell silent.

’I can’t believe such a beautiful girl actually had a boyfriend and even lived with him. Just thinking about it is disgusting!’

The Little Fairy in his heart was no longer pure. It felt like he’d swallowed a fly.

The group hastily finished their meal and went their separate ways.

After hearing all that gossip and receiving such upsetting news, the casual fan who’d once thought so highly of Ni Bingyan found his eyes turning red as he walked down the street, the cold wind blowing against his face and the alcohol taking effect.

"He says in the wind and the rain! This little pain is nothing!"

Seeing his buddy walk off into the distance, howling at the top of his lungs, Big Dog sighed and said nothing.

’What era is this? What’s wrong with a girl in her twenties falling in love?’

’But there really are a lot of people like that online.’

’Should I release this story?’

’It might ruin her...’

Big Dog hesitated for a long time, but in the end, he still chose to post a teaser on Weibo: [No lover for Valentine’s Day, but we’ll meet on Sunday.]

Every man for himself, and the devil take the hindmost.

It’s not like he and she were friends.

Just stating the facts, without adding any embellishments—that would be the last shred of his conscience.

’If you don’t want anyone to know, don’t do it in the first place. When the story gets out, who can you blame?’

With that thought, Big Dog began to meticulously search for evidence.

This time, he had to release solid proof, or his reputation would never recover.