After Transmigrating Into The Novel, The White Moonlight And The Female Lead Of The Abusive Romance Got Their Happy Ending - Chapter 14

After Shi Nanqiao ended the call, she heard someone beside her scoff disdainfully.

“Tch. She’s only an attending physician. How famous could she possibly become from appearing on one program? What’s the point of bending over backward to please her? In the end, the station still assigned you some obscure little doctor as your guest.”

The newcomer was named Jian Qingqing. She had joined Huadu Television Station in the same year as Shi Nanqiao.

They had graduated from the same university and both had sweet, innocent-looking features. Even back in school, people had constantly compared them. Now that they worked for the same organization, Jian Qingqing regarded Shi Nanqiao as an even greater rival.

Shi Nanqiao had already become the host of a long-running program, while Jian Qingqing was still doing supporting work and, at best, hosting poorly rated shows broadcast late at night. Naturally, she was unwilling to accept it.

Jian Qingqing wore a long white dress and looked delicate and harmless, but her words were dripping with malice.

“What’s wrong? Couldn’t the executive you slept with find you a better guest?”

At those words, anger surged into Shi Nanqiao’s eyes, and her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly.

In her previous life, when Fu Xuan first began pursuing her, Jian Qingqing had also joined a group of people spreading gossip about her around the station.

Shi Nanqiao had earned the program through her own hard work, yet everyone claimed she had used Fu Xuan’s connections to obtain it.

At first, she had followed the principle that avoiding trouble was better than creating more of it. She did not want to argue with them and believed that the innocent had nothing to fear.

She had never expected the rumors to become increasingly outrageous. Even her honor as an outstanding graduate was said to have been obtained by using a man to advance her position.

Eventually, even the station’s senior management believed the rumors.

When Fu Xuan forced her to resign and become a housewife, she had assumed the executives would consider her outstanding abilities and try to persuade him otherwise. Perhaps, out of respect for the station, Fu Xuan might have stopped pressuring her to quit.

Instead…

“Xiao Shi, there’s nothing wrong with resigning and staying home. Young Master Fu has treated you very well. He gave you so many resources and helped turn you into one of our station’s most prominent female hosts. Now that you’ve made a name for yourself, shouldn’t you show some gratitude?”

Only then had she realized that, in other people’s eyes, all her hard work had merely been a means of increasing her value in marriage.

Why?

How could she possibly accept that?

But it did not matter.

In this life, she would take her time playing with them.

Seeing several figures moving behind the office’s glass door, Shi Nanqiao curved her lips and deliberately raised her voice.

“I wonder why Miss Jian knows so much about these corrupt practices. Could it be—”

The figures behind the glass door immediately stopped moving.

Shi Nanqiao smiled contemptuously.

“Because you’ve done it yourself, which is why you understand it so well?”

“You!” Jian Qingqing pointed at Shi Nanqiao, fury blazing in her eyes. “Shi Nanqiao, what nonsense are you talking about?”

From the corner of her eye, Shi Nanqiao noticed an elevator descending from the top floor. She had originally intended to turn and leave, but instead stopped and continued in a low voice.

“Miss Jian, let me give you some advice. The only way to keep something secret is not to do it in the first place.”

Looking as though Shi Nanqiao had struck a sore spot, Jian Qingqing grabbed the plastic watering can used for the plants in the hallway and prepared to hurl it at her.

“Ding—”

The elevator chimed, and its doors opened.

Two middle-aged men stepped out.

They immediately saw Jian Qingqing standing in the hallway with disheveled hair and the watering can raised over her head, looking like a madwoman.

One man’s expression changed, and he rebuked her.

“Jian Qingqing, what are you doing?”

Jian Qingqing’s face turned deathly pale.

“Station Director, Director Tang, I…”

Then, as though remembering something, she immediately became self-righteous. She pointed at Shi Nanqiao and declared arrogantly, “It was all her fault! She provoked me first! It takes two hands to clap. If she hadn’t insulted me first, why would I have tried to hit her?”

Idiot!

Everyone present reached the same verdict upon hearing her words.

Even if the matter was brought before the leadership, both sides would, at worst, receive equal punishment. Moreover, Shi Nanqiao was currently on the rise, while Jian Qingqing was the one who had tried to attack someone.

It was obvious whom the leadership would favor.

Meng Hong’s expression remained unchanged as he turned toward Shi Nanqiao.

“Xiao Shi, do you have anything to say?”

Shi Nanqiao smiled faintly without showing the slightest panic.

“Station Director, Director Tang, I was contacting Dr. Wen just now to arrange tonight’s rehearsal. Perhaps there was a problem with how I communicated, causing Qingqing to misunderstand something about the program’s guest.”

She was not stupid enough to place all the blame on Jian Qingqing, even though Jian Qingqing had indeed spoken improperly first.

Leaders hated troublesome, unruly subordinates most of all. By accepting part of the responsibility today for the sake of workplace harmony, she would appear even more mature and tactful when the leadership later learned the truth from someone else.

They would only form a better impression of her.

And what if Meng Hong never learned the truth?

What a joke.

Shi Nanqiao scoffed inwardly. If not a single person eavesdropping inside the office was one of Meng Hong’s trusted subordinates, how could he have remained station director for so many years?

When the two women were compared, one was calm and composed, speaking logically and reasonably, while the other looked hysterical and had threatened violence.

Meng Hong had already reached his conclusion.

“During working hours, everyone should focus on their work,” Meng Hong said in a measured tone.

Then he turned toward Shi Nanqiao.

“Xiao Shi, Dr. Wen’s mentor is an old friend of my wife. If anything about the program is unsuitable for her, you should help her as much as possible.”

What a joke. His wife had spent a long time asking around before finally selecting this guest.

Shi Nanqiao lowered her head slightly.

“I understand. Don’t worry, Station Director.”

Only then did Jian Qingqing reluctantly say, “I understand, Station Director, Director Tang.”

Meng Hong nodded, though it was impossible to tell whether he was satisfied. Without another word, he walked away.

As they passed each other, Director Tang, who oversaw entertainment programming, gave Jian Qingqing a meaningful look from an angle no one else noticed.

After the two leaders left, Jian Qingqing’s expression once again turned resentful.

Shi Nanqiao merely smiled at her and calmly walked toward the office.

She had only made a casual accusation earlier, but judging from Jian Qingqing’s furious reaction, it seemed she might truly have stumbled onto something significant.

Anything that existed would leave traces behind.

As a hunter, Shi Nanqiao had plenty of patience.

…

At noon, Jian Qingqing used her lunch break to visit the director’s office.

The moment she entered, she removed the hood of her sun-protective jacket, revealing her exquisitely made-up face.

The thin white gauze jacket fluttered gently in the breeze from the air conditioner, revealing the fitted white slip dress underneath. A pale pink belt around her waist made it look even slimmer and softer.

“Director Tang—” she called, pinching her voice until its naturally sweet tone became soft and coquettish.

Tang Dengda was middle-aged. At home, his full-time housewife cared for his mother and children and never interfered with his work. At the station, plenty of young women eagerly threw themselves at him.

As the saying went, the red flag remained standing at home while colorful flags fluttered outside.

Whenever he thought of Station Director Meng Hong’s stern neurologist wife, who kept such a tight rein on him that he never dared go anywhere after work, Tang Dengda could not have been more smug.

Jian Qingqing was only one of his young lovers, but she was the one who satisfied him most.

The reason was simple.

Jian Qingqing had the face of an angel but was remarkably foolish.

All she ever asked of him was to arrange better programs for her at work. She had never attempted to use their relationship to rise any higher.

When he saw that it was her, Tang Dengda stood, locked the office door, and pulled Jian Qingqing onto his lap.

“What happened? Why did you lose your composure so badly in front of the station director today?” he asked.

His hands, however, were far from well-behaved. They roamed over Jian Qingqing’s body, drawing a series of soft gasps from her.

“It was all because of that Shi Nanqiao!” Jian Qingqing complained coyly. “She’s hardly clean herself, yet she still had the nerve to accuse me. Director, you have to help me get revenge.”

“All right. How would you like me to help?”

“I want a better program—one with higher ratings than hers!”

“When the opportunity comes, I’ll definitely arrange a good program for my precious Qingqing. For now, she’s the station director’s favorite, so don’t rush to make a move against her. There will be plenty of chances to trip her up later.”

“But…”

Jian Qingqing wanted to say more, but Tang Dengda stopped her.

“Be good. Listen to me.”

“All right…”

Realizing that Tang Dengda no longer wanted to discuss it, Jian Qingqing tactfully changed the subject…

After work that evening, Wen Tang got into Shi Nanqiao’s car and headed to Huadu Television Station.

The station was located in the city center, and traffic filled the roads the entire way.

Wen Tang sat in the passenger seat and turned her head. Beneath the flickering evening sunlight, a pale pink glow rested on Shi Nanqiao’s cheeks, making her look exceptionally beautiful.

“What is it? Is there something on my face?” Shi Nanqiao asked with a smile when she noticed Wen Tang staring.

“No. I was only thinking that it’s wonderful to see you again.” Wen Tang lowered her head as an inexplicable emotion rose inside her.

She liked seeing Shi Nanqiao like this—smiling radiantly beneath the sunlight, like peach blossoms blooming across the branches in spring.

She looked so beautiful and bright, completely different from the gloomy, lifeless figure outside the consultation room.

Normally, Shi Nanqiao should have responded with something polite, such as, “I’m happy to see you too.” That would have followed the usual rules of social interaction.

This time, however, she suddenly did not know what to say.

Was she happy to see Wen Tang?

Honestly, she was quite pleased.

Once she set aside the prejudice and hatred of the past, Wen Tang was dependable and gentle—a very good friend.

Shi Nanqiao truly was happy, which was precisely why those polite pleasantries suddenly seemed far too insincere.

Wen Tang assumed Shi Nanqiao was not in a very good mood today, or perhaps that she needed to concentrate on driving. She stopped speaking, faced forward, and watched the traffic like a responsible passenger.

A strange silence suddenly settled over the car.

It was so quiet that Shi Nanqiao felt as though she could hear her own heartbeat.

She did not want to offer Wen Tang such light, meaningless pleasantries. Yet for the first time, despite her humanities background, she could not find the words to express her sincere feelings.

It happened to be the evening rush hour, and what should have been a twenty-minute journey took an entire hour.

An hour was neither especially short nor particularly long.

Yet even when the car finally stopped in the underground parking garage, Shi Nanqiao still had not figured out what to say.

Once the vehicle was parked, Wen Tang promptly opened the door and got out, only to see Shi Nanqiao still sitting dazed in the driver’s seat.

She called out, “Come on, Ah-Qiao. As my host, aren’t you going to show me the way?”

“Huh?” Shi Nanqiao returned to her senses and hurriedly got out. “Sorry. I was thinking about something else just now.”

Wen Tang asked tentatively, “Then… shall we go?”

“Okay.”