The Truth Revealed

“Ooh, big sis is so cool! I love her!”

“Oho, I don’t know what happened, but it seems incredibly impressive.”

“They said Su Lianlian was being bullied? Pfft, clearly she was crying wolf.”

“Who knows if the video is real or fake? Maybe it’s a deepfake!”

“Where are all the people who accused Ning Ran of bullying? Come out and see this!”

After Ning Ran presented the video as evidence to debunk the rumors, the rolling danmaku comments surged severalfold, densely packing the phone screen.

Jiang Zhe had no choice but to switch off the danmaku. He wasn’t surprised by the video in Ning Ran’s hands; many people had been present, and there were always daring individuals willing to secretly record.

Even though the Lin family, backing Lin Moshu, wielded considerable influence, they simply couldn’t compare to the Ning family.

With a mere snap of her fingers and a promise of benefits, Ning Ran could effortlessly obtain any relevant video.

According to the game background his niece had once explained, among the five male leads, aside from Jiang Zhe, the ‘poor, beautiful, and tragic’ one, the other four hailed from prominent, upper-echelon families.

Yet, the Ning family stood at the very pinnacle of that pyramid, a full tier above the male leads.

This was precisely why Ning Ran, despite being the villainous young miss, managed to survive until the late stages of the game. No matter how much the male leads resented her, their apprehension of the Ning family prevented them from taking significant action against her, limiting them to minor skirmishes.

Subsequently, Ning Ran would retaliate, further fueling the romantic development between the male and female leads.

Once the male leads graduated from high school, they swiftly solidified their positions within their respective families. Upon fully seizing power, they immediately united to launch a commercial war against the Ning family.

Unfortunately, the plot of this romance game hadn’t reached its conclusion before Jiang Zhe transmigrated into it. Thus, he remained unaware of the ultimate ending.

However, Jiang Zhe, unlike his romance-obsessed niece, approached problems with far greater rationality.

The male leads, who showered the female lead Su Lianlian with care and concern in the game, appeared deeply in love with her. Yet, they allowed the villainous female supporting character to run rampant for so long, despite countless opportunities to resolve the conflict.

Their inaction stemmed from fear of retaliation from the Ning family, indicating a clear preference for power over women.

Of course, Jiang Zhe’s deductions might not be entirely accurate. For instance, his niece wouldn’t even consider such complexities; she simply spent her days giggling with a doting, ‘simp-like’ expression, utterly lost in the romance game.

Alternatively, the game designers might have crafted the plot in such a way merely to prolong the game and rake in money, preferring a stretched-out narrative over a quick conclusion, all to satisfy a horde of players mindlessly clamoring for ‘sweet, sweet, sweet’ romance.

Therefore, logic and moral principles were utterly irrelevant and effectively ‘fed to the dogs’ within this game.

Jiang Zhe observed the rapidly increasing viewer count displayed in the top right corner. He felt that the post’s title, featuring his name, had truly captivated attention, making him the ultimate tool for attracting an audience.

Considering he would see Ning Ran after school that afternoon, Jiang Zhe no longer lazily propped his chin on his hand. After straightening his posture, he instinctively tapped the table with one hand, the soft sound lost amidst the clamor of the cafeteria.

And then there was that troublesome binding quest!

Maintaining a kissing pose for thirty seconds… Jiang Zhe mused that given Ning Ran’s ‘little firecracker’ personality—prone to exploding at the slightest touch—he might have to consider knocking her out before attempting the kiss

****

“The two individuals apologizing in the video are both second-year high school students, Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian. I’m not familiar with them, yet I’ve been slandered. No matter how I look at it, I feel incredibly wronged.

“Therefore, I hope those who are spreading rumors will open their eyes and see the truth for themselves, rather than casually distorting black and white with just their words.”

As Jiang Zhe racked his brain for solutions, Ning Ran had already finished playing the video in the live stream post. Her subsequent, direct revelation of Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian’s names was even more unexpected, eliciting widespread exclamations of admiration!

This was a direct accusation, naming names!

She stopped just short of explicitly stating that Lin Moshu and Su Lianlian were the ones spreading the rumors.

“Wow, Ning Ran just brazenly said Lin Moshu’s name. Isn’t she afraid of him seeking revenge later?”

“Why should she be afraid? Ning Ran didn’t do anything wrong. Is clarifying rumors not allowed? Besides, if Lin Moshu dares to settle scores with Ning Ran, the Ning family will teach him a lesson right away.”

“Hehehe, was I the only one who heard the words ‘not familiar’? Lin Moshu’s cuckold’s hat is truly green!”

“Oh, come on. Arranged marriages aren’t about free love. Before marriage, you can do whatever you want. Even after marriage, you can still play around.”

Ning Ran’s continuous defiance caused an unending ripple of gasps and a constant buzz of whispered discussions throughout the cafeteria.

Jiang Zhe silently watched the video, feeling that Ning Ran hadn’t finished speaking; there had to be more to come.

The rumor of Ning Ran bullying someone had spread in just one day. If there wasn’t a hidden hand behind it, Jiang Zhe wouldn’t believe it. Considering the female lead’s ‘white lotus’ persona in the game, Jiang Zhe suspected Su Lianlian was the one spreading the rumors.

She was deliberately targeting Ning Ran.

Just as Jiang Zhe predicted, Ning Ran spoke again the next moment: “Furthermore, to those students who spread rumors, besides a lawyer’s letter, you’d best pray you have no cooperation with the Ning family. Otherwise, you’re finished.”

At this point, Ning Ran no longer held back her smile, a hint of triumph gracing her already alluring face, making it even more dazzling.

The threat in her words was blatant and completely unhidden. With the Ning family as her formidable backing, Ning Ran had no need to restrain herself.

“In addition, there are some dishonest students at Fenghua High School who have been criticizing and slandering Jiang Zhe. Congratulations, you have been expelled from Fenghua! All right, that concludes the live stream. Goodbye, everyone.”

Leaving behind another domineering yet ambiguous statement, Ning Ran ended the live stream, and the video screen immediately went dark.

Moments later, the live stream post transformed into a text thread, with Fenghua students commenting frantically.

[Buddha’s Country, No Trace]: Ning Ran is so ruthless!

[Linlin is so Sweet]: Sister Ning is too fierce, boohoo, a little protector of her husband!

[Conflicted]: No, what exactly happened? I didn’t even start eating the melon, and it’s already gone. So frustrating.

[Cherry Pie]: Ning Ran and Jiang Zhe definitely have something going on.

[Leaf]: Watch your words upstairs, be careful you don’t get sent to the ‘dark room.’ Freedom of speech doesn’t exist at Fenghua.

[Pig Hauler]: Hehehe, sisters who don’t have class, go watch! Someone’s definitely going to cry to the principal, refusing to leave Fenghua.

Not only was the forum buzzing with discussion, but the cafeteria, packed with students, was equally lively.

Jiang Zhe, however, didn’t linger to listen. After turning off his phone screen and slipping it into his pocket, he picked up his tray with the empty bowl and swiftly left the cafeteria.

He wasn’t sure whether to call Ning Ran arrogant and overbearing or simply reckless. Her direct expression of displeasure, imbued with her usual haughtiness, was something Jiang Zhe found incredibly appealing.

Having checked his class schedule earlier, the morning consisted of two math classes, one English class, and physical education. Based on Jiang Zhe’s understanding of the plot, several classes would have PE together, meaning he would soon meet Ning Ran.