Chapter 412: A Photo Triggers a "Mother-in-Law" Mystery
The wrap party for King of Extras was held at a private club with top-tier confidentiality.
Glasses clinked, wine flowed, and toasts flew fast.
Jiang Ci got hit the hardest.
As the soul of this production, people lined up like a long dragon just to toast him.
“Teacher Jiang, my respects! This cup, you gotta down it all!” the assistant director, face flushed red, charged over holding a liquor dispenser.
Jiang Ci leaned back in his chair, his eyes already unfocused.
He’d swapped Chen San’s tattered suit for a comfortable hoodie, but the bone-deep exhaustion hadn’t faded.
Just as he reached for the cup, a hand cut in, steadying his wine glass firmly.
“His stomach’s bad.”
Gu Huai’s voice made the atmosphere freeze instantly.
The whole place went silent.
Gu Huai didn’t bother looking at everyone’s stunned expressions. He simply picked up his own red wine glass,
raised it to the assistant director, and said, “I’ll drink this one for him.”
He tipped his head back and downed it in one go.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as the liquid slid down.
Jiang Ci squinted, watching Gu Huai’s profile,
slurring through a thick tongue, “Brother Huai… you’re solid. Next time… next time I’ll take one for you too…”
“Shut up.” Gu Huai set down the empty glass, disgustedly straightening Jiang Ci’s head, which was about to slump onto the table, “Don’t throw up on me. This shirt cost thirty-eight thousand.”
…
The next day, around noon.
Sunlight sliced through the gap in the curtains, stabbing Jiang Ci’s eyelids.
His head was splitting.
Jiang Ci struggled to reach a hand out from under the covers, fumbling for his phone, which was vibrating wildly.
Before he could even see the caller ID, the moment he answered,
Lin Wan’s signature roar nearly shattered his eardrums.
“Jiang Ci! You’re something else, huh! Learned to keep a concubine in a gilded cage?”
“What concubine?” Jiang Ci’s voice was hoarse, his brain still a mess of cotton.
“Don’t get cute with me! Check the trending list!” Lin Wan’s voice sounded deadly serious. “You’ve really ‘blown up’ this time. Even I didn’t know you’d secretly dated a minor behind the company’s back!”
“Huh?”
Jiang Ci was suddenly half-awake.
He hung up, deftly opened Weibo.
Number one on the trending chart, followed by a purple-black “EXPLOSIVE” tag.
#JiangCiRelationshipExposed#
Right behind it:
#GuHuaiToastingForJiangCi# (BOILING)
#JiangCi Cinderella# (NEW)
#TheWholeInternetHeartbroken#
Jiang Ci tapped on the “relationship exposed” hashtag.
Pinned at the top was a post from an entertainment marketing account with five million followers:
[@TheEntertainmentPeelingKing: Breaking! Jiang Ci, who just harvested tears across the entire internet with The Lurker, actually has a secret civilian girlfriend?]
A netizen submitted a tip: spotting Jiang Ci at a county-town cinema during the Spring Festival holiday, accompanying two women to a movie.
Among them, a young woman in a cheap brand down jacket was crying her eyes out, while Jiang Ci tenderly handed her tissues, his gaze full of affection!
Is this the legendary story of a Film Emperor falling for a Cinderella? [Image][Image]
The attached photos were a bit blurry, clearly sneakily taken in the dim theater.
Although Jiang Ci wore a mask and hat, those signature eyes and that despondent vibe were so recognizable his fans could spot him even in ashes.
And on his left side sat a girl with a ponytail.
The girl was looking up, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching a wad of tissues. That pink down jacket stood out starkly in the dim light.
Jiang Ci stared at the photo for three seconds.
“Isn’t this freaking Li Li?”
Jiang Ci’s mouth twitched.
What the hell, “eyes full of affection”!
Back then, that girl was crying so hard she wiped her snot on his sleeve.
He handed her a tissue out of disgust so she’d clean it up!
Also, she was crying because of The Lurker, it had nothing to do with him!
He scrolled down to the comments section.
The tone had completely derailed, filled with sourness and malicious speculation.
[@CiGeLittleWifey: I don’t believe it! Who is this girl? Dressed all tacky, obviously a village girl trying to ride his fame!]
[@SoberObserver: Gotta say, I’ve seen that down jacket before—99 yuan for a set on Pinduoduo. What’s Jiang Ci worth? Dating someone at this level? She doesn’t even bathe?]
[@RandomPasserby: The comment above is way too toxic. But the contrast is pretty big. Jiang Ci’s a top star now, this girl really doesn’t match up…]
[@GuJiangFlagNeverFalls: What girlfriend! That’s his sister! I only ship Gu Huai toasting for Jiang Ci! That’s true love!]
The public opinion snowballed.
Within half an hour, Li Li’s information had been stripped bare down to her underwear.
Tags like “suspected county-town high schooler,” “neighbor’s sister,” and “climbing up through handouts” were plastered everywhere.
Some even started attacking Li Li’s looks, saying her crying-red eyes looked like she’d been beaten.
Jiang Ci stared at those vicious comments, his lazy demeanor slowly fading, his gaze turning icy cold.
That girl Li Li was loud and brash, sure, but at heart, she was just a simple-minded little fan.
These people had filthy mouths.
He exited Weibo and immediately called Lin Wan back.
“Seen it all?” Lin Wan’s voice was much calmer now. “PR has drafted a statement, saying she’s a cousin. This kind of civilian rumor, a cold-shoulder treatment for two days and—”
“Send a lawyer’s letter.” Jiang Ci cut her off, his tone eerily calm.
“What?”
“Sister Wan, send a lawyer’s letter to that ‘Peeling King’ and those who cursed the dirtiest in the comments.”
Jiang Ci sat up in bed, messing up his already messy hair. “Li Li is my neighbor and also my little fan.”
“She’s still a kid. She shouldn’t have to endure this kind of cyber-violence.”
Lin Wan on the other end of the line instantly understood Jiang Ci’s intention.
The call ended.
Jiang Ci stared at the bustling capital city street scene outside his window, letting out a long sigh.
This damn entertainment industry—it devours people whole without even spitting out the bones.
Just as Jiang Ci was about to get up and wash up, his phone vibrated again.
A special notification tone.
He picked it up and saw a new Weibo post from a blogger named [TheEagleEyedeetective], who had tagged him.
This post had no caption. It just zoomed in on a corner of the sneakily taken photo, circled the figure sitting on Jiang Ci’s right,
and marked it with a giant red question mark.
Jiang Ci’s heart skipped a beat.
That was his mom!
In the photo, Chu Hong, wearing that navy blue wool coat, was looking down, wiping her glasses with a handkerchief.
In the comments, the tide had turned.
[@Leeuwenhoek: Holy shit! Everyone’s looking at that crying little girl, but nobody noticed this auntie next to her?]
[@MicroexpressionExpert: That posture, that way of wiping her glasses… This is definitely not your average middle-aged woman.]
[@TheInternetHasMemory: Wait! This coat and this figure… Does anyone still remember Jiang Ci’s mom’s fierce cub-protecting moment last year?]
[@TechMaster: The comment above reminded me! I just checked—the IP of that account and the location of this photo… overlap!!]
A single stone stirred a thousand waves.
Compared to that crying “Cinderella,” netizens’ curiosity had shifted to this mysterious “Empress Dowager.”
[@Gossip-HungryMasses: Case solved! This isn’t some relationship exposure—this is bringing the Empress Dowager back to her hometown!]
[@Brainstormer: This auntie looks so fierce… Jiang Ci’s like a quail next to her. Could she be a hidden rich matriarch? Or… a retired big shot?]
Some netizens, eager for drama, even started digging into Chu Hong’s background,
trying to figure out who this woman was who could tame the “landslide of the entertainment industry.”
Jiang Ci’s fingers gripping his phone tightened sharply.
A chill shot straight up his spine to the top of his head.
If Li Li got exposed, worst case, she’d get cursed for being tacky.
But Chu Hong was different.
If Chu Hong’s identity got widely exposed and caught the eye of the wrong people…
Jiang Ci didn’t dare to think about that consequence.
He acted in The Lurker, he acted in Icebreaker, to pay tribute to his father, to understand that faith.
“Damn it.”
Jiang Ci cursed under his breath, his fingers flying to dial Chu Hong’s number.
“Beep… beep… beep…”
The call went through, but no one answered.
Until it automatically hung up.
Jiang Ci’s heart sank.
Chu Hong never let her phone leave her side. It was a habit developed over years,
to make sure she could be contacted in case of any emergencies.
Unless…
He dialed again.
“Sorry, the number you’re calling is busy…”
Hung up on?
Or already on another call?
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.
Surrounded by reporters at her door?
Or harassed by those marketing accounts who smelled blood?
Or…