Chapter 17

Half an hour ago, in the third-floor study of the castle.

The phone notification sound for new messages kept chiming. Ji Yingqing finally shifted her gaze from the computer and lifted her eyelids to take a look. After clicking on the chat box and watching for a while, she still didn’t reply.

Just as she was about to resume working, another entertainment news push notification popped up on the screen. Ji Yingqing’s brow furrowed slightly; she felt a flicker of regret for ever setting a “Special Follow” alert.

Despite her internal complaints, her finger honestly swiped open the page. It was another pushed “CP” (couple) video. Ji Yingqing glanced at it irritably and was just about to hit delete when the final frame of the auto-playing video flashed a familiar cat emoji.

Her finger paused. She navigated back to her own chat history and saw the exact same “acting cute” emoji at the bottom. The coldness in her eyes softened unconsciously, and even her delicate brow relaxed.

She played it back a few times, listening to the CP fans’ commentary on the zoomed-in shots of Bai Manruo’s eyes and the corners of her mouth—showing how happy and sweet she looked while sending messages. Ji Yingqing watched the Bai Manruo in the video quietly, matching her expressions to the captions added by the fans.

She was still watching a fan-edited video of Xu Huanxin and Bai Manruo, but clearly, this time, a trace of a smile appeared in her eyes. After the tenth viewing, Ji Yingqing’s finger slid down, her gaze finally landing on the “Viewing Guide” in the comments. She then silently opened the dating show’s livestream.

At that very moment, the ​bailiantales.com​program in the video was showing the six guests being assigned their rooms.

Bai Manruo and Xu Huanxin didn’t care much about which room they got, so they proactively let the others choose first. Gu Ran looked at the guests with a gentle smile, saying magnanimously, “You guys choose first, I’m fine sleeping in any room.”

The Alphas and Omegas were split between the first and second floors. Bai Manruo and Xu Huanxin ended up in the rooms on the far left of the stairs.

Bai Manruo noticed that Gu Ran didn’t choose the room further away, but specifically moved into the one right next to hers. She cast a few surprised glances at her. However, seeing that Gu Ran hadn’t caused any trouble since entering the house, Bai Manruo didn’t overthink it. Still, she kept her guard up; after all, Gu Ran had frequently played mind games on variety shows in the past, which led to Bai Manruo being heavily criticized when the shows aired.

The Heartbeat Cottage had everything: a bar, a gym, a media room, a library, and an entertainment room. While the others went to their rooms to unpack, Bai Manruo had very few belongings and didn’t need much time.

Just as she stepped out to tour the cottage, she ran into Gu Ran coming her way. Bai Manruo pretended not to see her and turned to go the other way, but Gu Ran was clearly waiting for her and blocked her path.

Looking at Bai Manruo, Gu Ran suddenly spoke in a piteous tone: “Manruo, don’t you recognize me anymore? I know what the agent did hurt you deeply, but we’ve been together in the company for so many years; our bond won’t just vanish like that.”

As she spoke, she actually looked like she was about to cry. Watching her performative concern, Bai Manruo gave a cold, internal smile. But since the cameras were everywhere, Bai Manruo wouldn’t be as blunt or reckless as the original owner.

She sat on a high stool at the bar, where the lens could only catch her back. Bai Manruo poured a glass [unauthorized copy]of water and handed it to Gu Ran: “What are you saying, Sister? How could I blame you?” Her tone was gentle and magnanimous.

Although the audience could only see their backs, upon hearing Bai Manruo’s reply, the bullet chat began praising her good temper.

Meanwhile, on the side hidden from the cameras, Bai Manruo’s deep black eyes looked down at Gu Ran with a light chuckle, her eyes filled with undisguised disdain. Gu Ran felt a sudden chill down her spine, but seeing Bai Manruo’s smug look, she wanted to lash out. However, catching the moving camera out of the corner of her eye, she suppressed her rage, squeezed out a graceful smile, and took a sip of the water through gritted teeth.

Her eyes landed on Bai Manruo’s bracelet, and the fire in her heart subsided slightly. I’ll let you be smug one last time; there won’t be a next time anyway.

Gu Ran set the glass back down and sat beside her, saying, “Manruo, that bracelet on your wrist looks so beautiful. Where did you buy it? I want to get one too.”

Bai Manruo hadn’t expected her to stay. She didn’t feel like dealing with her, but for the sake of the three million yuan, she perfunctorily replied, “Someone gave it to me.”

Gu Ran sighed in disappointment: “I see.” But a malicious glint flashed in the depths of her eyes.

She then began talking to herself: “I used to love researching various bracelets. The white jade bracelets from the King Ling period are the most beautiful, but because they are precious artifacts, the museum only has pictures and descriptions. I wanted to have a replica made, but unrecovered cultural relics aren’t allowed to be pirated or sold. Someone was caught illegally selling counterfeit white jade bracelets before, and according to the regulations, both buyer and seller are equally guilty, so…”

Bai Manruo looked dazed. What is she talking about? Why the sudden history lesson??

The person beside her was buzzing in her ear like an annoying insect. Bai Manruo’s brow furrowed slightly. Has she stopped the ‘gentle big sister’ persona to try an ‘academic’ one instead? Since Gu Ran wouldn’t leave, Bai Manruo decided to leave first.

Seeing her about to walk away, Gu Ran suddenly grabbed her arm and raised her voice: “Manruo, this bracelet on your wrist looks exactly like the King Ling white jade artifact. I wonder which friend of yours gave you such a ‘precious’ gift?”

The moment Gu Ran’s hand touched her, Bai Manruo shook her off, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. Gu Ran no longer cared about the look she was getting; a triumphant smile appeared on her face.

She knew that simply purchasing a counterfeit cultural relic violated strict regulations. The thought of Bai Manruo potentially becoming the first artist to have her ignorance exposed before the entire nation and then being sent to jail made her feel incredibly satisfied.

Netizens watching the livestream exploded instantly. The hashtag #BaiManruoFakeBracelet shot to number one on the trending list.

The whole country was talking about it. People were discussing Bai Manruo’s punishment; no one even bothered to guess if the bracelet was real, because everyone was 100% certain it was fake. After all, that was an artifact that even the museum hadn’t been able to locate.

Hearing her words, Bai Manruo’s brow furrowed. Although Gu Ran made it sound real, she didn’t believe it was actually that serious. However, her phone had been taken away, so she couldn’t verify it.

Wait! Huanxin should know about this! Bai Manruo went straight to Xu Huanxin and recounted what Gu Ran had said.

Seeing the worried expression on Huanxin’s face, Bai Manruo started to panic. She looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, stunned. No way… is there really such a regulation?? She wished she had researched it more, but it seemed a bit late for regrets now.

Xu Huanxin comforted her first, then calmly analyzed the situation: “This matter actually isn’t that huge if handled privately, but the problem is that we are filming a live show. It’s probably already spread across the internet, so…”

With Xu Huanxin’s background and power, it would usually be easy to handle, but with the media’s massive promotion, it might not be easy to silence the netizens’ discussions.

Bai Manruo realized Xu Huanxin was more worried than she was, so she turned the tables to comfort her: “It’s fine. Whatever happens, happens. I really did violate the rule.”

Now she understood why Gu Ran had been clinging to her earlier. Gu Ran must have noticed the problem with the bracelet long ago and intentionally waited until they were on camera to explain the illegal nature of artifact replicas before exposing her publicly, cutting off all her exits. No wonder she suddenly started sharing “knowledge”—she definitely had bad intentions.

Xu Huanxin held onto a sliver of hope as she looked at the bracelet: “What if the bracelet is real?”

Bai Manruo lifted her slender wrist and touched the smooth jade, facing reality with a bitter smile: “I’m just a small-time actress; how could I possibly get my hands on a real cultural relic?”

Xu Huanxin pondered for a few seconds and pressed further: “Who gave you unauthorized copythis bracelet? If we can find the source, it could lessen your punishment.”

Seeing her go silent, Xu Huanxin called out softly: “Manruo?”

Bai Manruo sat on the sofa, her lashes casting a shadow over her eyes. Her clear black eyes fell on the white jade bracelet.

Who gave it to me? She probably didn’t know either. Though they had only been together for a few days, she believed the person certainly didn’t do it on purpose.