Chapter 3460: Diva, Diva (17)

Ning Shu was now considered a fairly popular actress. Combined with the recent love triangle scandal, her popularity hadn't waned in the slightest.

Yue Wenlun announced their breakup directly on Weibo.

To be honest, Ning Shu had been incredibly busy lately, rushing from one booking to the next to save up money for a house.

Having her own home meant that no matter what happened, she would always have a place of her own.

Aside from their brief encounter on the film set, the two of them hadn't seen each other at all. They hadn't even stayed in contact or made any plans to meet.

Ning Shu wasn't surprised in the least that Yue Wenlun had announced the breakup on Weibo.

In fact, she had been waiting for it. As long as she was officially his girlfriend, she reaped all the benefits with none of the drawbacks.

Yue Wenlun was the one in a hurry. He didn't want her profiting off his name, and since he had found someone he truly liked, a breakup was inevitable.

As soon as Yue Wenlun posted the announcement, his fans immediately celebrated. They cheered that their Best Actor award winner had finally rid himself of that vacuous beauty, and she was no longer clinging to him.

Even now, his fans still viewed Ning Shu as nothing more than eye candy. Even though she had gained some fame, they believed it was entirely thanks to their idol.

After all, in the eyes of a fan, their idol can do no wrong.

Ning Shu posted a simple response on Weibo. [I hope we both find peace. I wish you happiness.]

It was a very dignified response.

Seeing her post, Yue Wenlun felt a surge of stifled frustration.

In reality, he had posted the announcement partly to test her feelings. He was still very dissatisfied with the scene she had caused on set. He had expected an apology, yet he hadn't heard a single ‘sorry’ from her.

Secondly, he wanted to stand up for Qiao Ling’er. Both Qiao Ling’er and his ex-girlfriend had gained attention from the drama, but Mu Shuyao clearly had far more bookings—magazine covers, public events, and ad endorsements.

Yue Wenlun believed she only had these opportunities because she was still known as his girlfriend.

Thirdly, he felt a deep sense of irritation. He believed that now that she had used him to become famous, she couldn't even be bothered to maintain basic appearances with him.

It seemed Qiao Ling’er was right. This woman only cared about his industry resources and reputation.

She was the type to burn the bridge after crossing the river, to kill the donkey once the work was done.

It felt like a travesty that someone with her character could become famous. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

Consequently, many comments began appearing under Ning Shu’s posts. The general consensus was that she had dumped him the moment she got famous.

She was accused of being ungrateful and discarding the man who had helped her rise to the top.

Looking at these comments from paid trolls, Ning Shu rolled her eyes. Wasn't she the one who had been dumped?

Were people blind?

Ning Shu posted another update. [I’m the one who got dumped, yet people say I did the dumping. Let’s try to be reasonable.]

After posting that, she went right back to her bookings. No one was going to stop her from making money.

She carefully reviewed every script Sister Zhao brought her.

To her surprise, she received an audition notice from the director of Autumn in My Heart.

Ning Shu: …

Should she go or not? This was the very script she had sold to that famous writer.

If she went to the audition, it meant she would have to face Yue Wenlun again.

Of course she would go.

Ning Shu went to the audition, aiming for the female lead—the role that eventually dies from a combination of cancer and a car accident.

Since it was a lead role, she had to take it. Previously, she had been forced to play the second lead because she had no other choice, and without that exposure, she wouldn't be where she was now.

This protagonist was a rather frail character, so Ning Shu had to dial back her natural intensity. Especially since the character eventually died of cancer.

Ning Shu dressed in a simple, plain outfit and went to the audition without a touch of makeup.

She had written the outline from memory, so she understood the character’s persona perfectly.

She needed to be pure and lovely.

Ning Shu’s appearance suited the role perfectly.

Her previous role had been a poisonous-hearted woman, and now she was playing a fragile girl with a brother complex.

The jump between roles was massive.

Through the audition, Ning Shu successfully landed the lead role. If Qiao Ling’er didn't come to snatch it away, it would be hers for sure.

The male lead was a gentle actor with clear eyes who was very polite to Ning Shu.

Once the roles were finalized, they took the promotional costume photos. Ning Shu wore a slightly melancholy expression as she leaned against the lead actor.

The photos were uploaded online, and the marketing campaign began.

At the same time, Yue Wenlun’s studio made an announcement of their own.

Then, an awkward situation arose.

The two productions had the same title. It wasn't just a minor coincidence. The character archetypes, plots, and synopses were also almost identical.

It was blatant plagiarism. Now it was just a matter of seeing who had copied whom.

Onlookers were thrilled. On one side, the leads were Yue Wenlun and Qiao Ling’er.

On the other side was Yue Wenlun’s ex-girlfriend. They were pitted against each other once again in a messy, complicated tangle.

These three were single-handedly providing all the entertainment gossip of the season.

Both camps were in a state of panic.

On Ning Shu’s side, the first thing the writer thought was that the ‘bastard’ who sold her the outline had sold it to other people as well.

Qiao Ling’er was even more flustered. How on earth could someone else have written this script?

She remembered clearly that no one had written it in her previous life.

Why had it suddenly appeared now?

In panic, Qiao Ling’er tried to explain to Yue Wenlun. "How could someone plagiarize me? What’s going on?"

Yue Wenlun frowned, sensing that the matter wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"Who else has seen your script?" Yue Wenlun asked. "Think carefully. This concerns the reputation of our studio. Whether they sue us or we sue them, we need sufficient evidence. Think—who else could have seen it?"

As Yue Wenlun questioned her, Qiao Ling’er’s heart began to race. Why was this happening?

"I… I didn't show it to anyone," she stammered.

Yue Wenlun scrolled through the news online.

"The other side has already made a move. They posted their original drafts and the outline," he said with a frown on his face. "We have to produce draft records that predate theirs. You said you started writing this a long time ago, right? If you produce the original drafts, we can prove they plagiarized us."

Qiao Ling’er: …

Where was she supposed to find earlier draft records?

Sweat broke out on Qiao Ling’er’s face as she scrambled for a solution. Could she really just say the system gave it to her?

She had no desire to end up on a dissection table for research.

Qiao Ling’er finally blurted out, "I used to write it in a notebook, but I can't find it anywhere now. I really did start writing this script a long time ago. I’ll go back and see if I can find the original manuscript."

But there was no original manuscript. Qiao Ling’er had never imagined a situation like this would occur.

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