When will I be the queen

Chapter 492 Back Then
Cai Cai understands Er Ya's shamelessness, and Xian Jun understands the artists' lack of moral bottom line.

Anyway, because Cai Cai said that this time she must make Er Ya suffer a big fall and fight back properly, the Immortal Lord fully cooperated and provided manpower and resources.

There was no objection from the company; those who knew Cai Cai's background were all waiting to see what would happen.

Then, Cai Cai's actions naturally spread, attracting attention from both inside and outside the industry. As for Er Ya, because even more people had received the news that Cai Cai was indeed having an intimate rendezvous with a wealthy man in Hong Kong, and with Er Ya's triumphant pronouncements and solid evidence, she was determined to completely destroy Cai Cai, attracting even more attention and resources.

While many people were unaware or hadn't even realized it, a massive public opinion battle between celebrities was unfolding.

"When I finally escaped and tried to find her, she had already been rescued." Er Ya said, looking at the camera, "Yes, this child, the one who was abducted with me, is now the world-famous superstar, Cai Cai. I met her at the police station later. She was being held by a kind lady. At that time, her name wasn't Cai Cai; I didn't know her name. When she saw me, she told the police that I was trying to harm her, but I clearly wanted to save her."

Thanks to numerous reposts, the comment section was packed with people even in the middle of the night, with the number of concurrent online users exceeding one million and still growing rapidly.

How did you escape?

Cai Cai watched Er Ya drink water, looking very nervous and scared.

I don't know what kind of retaliation I'll face for speaking out. Well, let's not call it retaliation, just the consequences. After all, those who know me all these years know that I have a grudge against Cai Cai. Before, when I pretended to be crazy, speaking a mix of truth and lies, it was all to protect myself. Although I have some connections, compared to those who have hooked up with Hong Kong's tycoons, my abilities are truly limited. I really don't want to have any grudge against Cai Cai, but she keeps holding a grudge and misunderstanding me, unilaterally making an enemy of me, and there's nothing I can do about it.

Now that the matter has been exposed, I feel sorry for her. She's so young; her life after being adopted must have been difficult. After all, for someone so young to navigate the world of wealthy people in Hong Kong must have been incredibly tough for her. Now that she's finally become a big star, she must be trying to make a name for herself.

Er Ya was cautious enough to avoid mentioning names when it came to unpleasant things. But she wasn't entirely careful enough and still mentioned Cai Cai's name.

[I mean, Cai Cai, it's not easy for her. As far as I know, she probably has more than one wealthy friend. She knows quite a few rich people in Beijing.]

"Ask the Immortal Lord a question," Gu Sheng gestured to the staff.

"My Immortal Lord," Er Ya glanced back at Zhang Jiuming. Although she was currently tied to Zhang Jiuming, working as his girlfriend and projecting a perfect image of love, Er Ya still longed for a romantic relationship with the Immortal Lord. After all, in this world, the Immortal Lord was top-tier in terms of looks, family background, career, and character. Er Ya knew that the Immortal Lord was still a virgin. Such a clean-cut, exceptionally handsome man, a top star, and so rich—not having a romantic encounter with him would be a waste of her time in this world.

Therefore, even though the Immortal Lord might already dislike her because of Zhang Jiuming, Er Ya didn't want to further worsen her image in the Immortal Lord's mind.

[The Immortal Lord doesn't count. He's so career-driven, and his kindness towards Cai Cai is only because of the company. The Immortal Lord is different from ordinary wealthy people.]

"Start cleaning up the comments section and ask all kinds of questions." Noticing that Er Ya had started answering comments, Mei Zhang made further plans. Although online trolls can never replace real people, if the trolls ask questions that real people also want to know, then they are like-minded.

[My heart aches for you, baby. It must have been so hard for you to get out of that predicament.]

Could you explain in detail how you escaped?

[You've tried so hard to save yourself, didn't Cai Cai help you?]

How could Cai Cai hold everyone back?

"..." Cai Cai looked at the comments section and thought, "No, we're all on the same side, please don't criticize me, and don't make these kinds of leading comments."

Mei Zhang didn't look up. "It wasn't one of our own people who said that."

The period was even more heartbreaking.

Cai Cai sighed. Just then, someone from the company came over, talking to the Immortal Lord while cautiously glancing at her. Cai Cai immediately leaned closer. "What's wrong?"
"Several roles originally cast as the Ninth Princess have been cancelled. Contracts have already been signed, but the actress is said to be injured. Contracts that are still being processed are also likely to be cancelled."

"..." Cai Cai clutched her chest. "Am I being labeled a high-risk celebrity?"

Of course, the internet is a mess right now. Xianjun says not to worry, "There are always more people in the industry. They're all supporting roles anyway, so just replace them. For at least five years, don't have any contact with them. Once their contracts are finalized, never work with them again." This is standard practice in the industry. The spirit of contracts isn't just empty words; the consequences of breaching a contract, whether good or bad, are something the artist must bear.

Cai Cai then asked Cao Xin if she had withdrawn from the performance.

"He's working with Si Chen to help you," the Immortal Lord thought, "Don't think of Cao Xin as such a bad person. He definitely knows about your background." But thinking about the various things his parents did behind Cao Xin's back, he didn't say it. "That Yue Hong with the black skin didn't quit, and none of the artists in the company quit. The palace maids and concubines also stayed."

It mainly involves those who were brought in by capital, and then taken away by capital.

"It's not easy for investors to cultivate a decent artist. They're reluctant to let them take any risks, and the artists themselves don't dare to take risks either, since risk equals pure loss. It's not that the investors don't believe in you; they just withdrew the talent, not the investment, and they've even added a bunch of replacements." This time, we won't trouble Cai Cai. We'll let the casting director and Huang Xin choose according to the template they discussed. If it doesn't work, we'll just cut the scenes. The project's focus is on Cai Cai; the others are unimportant anyway. If they put in a little more effort, they could easily add more scenes, but it's obvious they're not interested, so why bother?

The immortal lord thought for a moment, "Now it seems that Cao Xin is actually the most serious and dedicated among the supporting characters."

"." I'm really afraid of comparisons.

Over there, Er Ya was talking about how she escaped, and she even cried when she got to the emotional part.

[The human trafficker suddenly crashed into the guardrail and passed out. Cai Cai and I were behind him and were also hit. The car swayed, and it really looked like it was about to fall off. It was a mountain road, and below the guardrail was a cliff. If we fell off with the car, it would really be like in the movies—a fatal car accident. I tried to pull Cai Cai out of the car, but she kept her eyes closed and wouldn't move. I wasn't strong enough to pull her, but I was so focused on saving her that I pulled her with all my might. As a result, the car lurched, and we both fell out of the car and rolled down the slope to the bottom of the cliff.]

Fortunately, there was a flat surface underneath, which caught Cai Cai and me. Cai Cai hit her head, her face was covered in blood, and I cried in panic. I took off my clothes to wrap her head, but I also had injuries on my hands, and my head was spinning. Later I found out I had a concussion, and I couldn't control my movements. I couldn't wrap it properly, and seeing Cai Cai bleeding more and more, I had no choice but to leave her there and go find someone to bring her back. By the time I was taken to the police station, Cai Cai had already been taken to the hospital by the police officers.

She probably hit her head and was confused. She accused me of pushing her when I pulled her out of the car, saying I wanted to kill her, and that I left her there to die. I don't know how the police collected evidence, and I myself was having a concussion and couldn't explain myself clearly. Many people told me to apologize, so I said sorry.

That's what happened. Later, I learned that she was adopted by the kind person who rescued her and taken to the capital. After that, we both became actors and met on film sets. She doesn't remember me anymore; apparently, she has amnesia. When I talk to her, she doesn't really respond.

The comments section is still filled with various questions.

So that's why you and Cai Cai are enemies; she thinks you're trying to kill her.

[Cai Cai definitely didn't lose her memory, right? Baby is such a kind child.] [You were thinking of saving Cai Cai, but after she was saved, she didn't think of saving you.]

So Cai Cai isn't Chinese at all.

[As expected, he's a mixed-race bastard.]

Who adopted Cai Cai?

Er Ya was all smiles in the video, thanking the commenters for their concern and answering some questions.

[I didn't actually want to be enemies with Cai Cai, I just acted impulsively. Later, she became very famous, and I was criticized by many people, which made me even more upset. So I just went for it and did what she wanted, making us enemies. That way, I gained popularity. Say I'm riding on her coattails, say whatever you want, I don't regret it. Because that's all the path I've walked. Without those times of pain and sadness, without those moments of despair, without those lies, I wouldn't be who I am today.]

[The person who adopted Cai Cai was a very noble and elegant lady from Beijing, not some Hong Kong city as some people are saying now. The connections in Hong Kong were probably developed by Cai Cai herself later. I actually feel very sorry for Cai Cai. Think about it, an orphan with unknown parents, adopted by a kind person, but she didn't study hard and became an actress. If she didn't work hard to build connections, how could she establish herself in this industry? It's not easy being a good-looking child; I know that all too well myself.]

"..." Cai Cai was speechless.

The immortal lord commented, "No wonder this person is popular; they really have talent, and they speak so well." Look at Cai Cai, this brainless girl; if only she had even a fraction of this kind of talent...

Cai Cai glared at the Immortal Lord, "What are you complaining about?!"

He turned and shouted at Mei Zhang, "Finish this up! Stop this clown jumping around!"

Mei Zhang confirmed again, "You won't tell us about your background?"

Cai Cai thought for a moment, then said, "I'll listen to my mom."

Mei Zhang didn't dare to ask Cai Jinhui directly, so he asked Tang Jinyi to ask her again to make a final decision.

Tang Jinyi still felt it was a good idea to go public with it. She sat down next to Cai Cai and then called Cai Jinhui, saying, "Your family is definitely watching too. What if your mom changes her mind now?"

Cai Cai also thought it was possible, because many people online had already claimed to be her biological parents. They were really daring. How could they be so bold?
Cai Jinhui has indeed changed her mind. The online situation is becoming increasingly chaotic, and she's also receiving many phone calls that are ostensibly friendly but actually probing. The adoption is indeed happening, and if this isn't clarified, her child will truly become an orphan.

"It's public. I've already had the group's public relations department and the family's public relations department prepared, so it can be public." Cai Jinhui said in the video, her brows furrowed. "You two are clearly a close family, how did it become a scandalous relationship? Now it's news questioning Nannan's parentage, and there are so many crazy people jumping around like this. How can the entertainment industry be such a mess!"

Having been an entertainer for so long, Tsai Chin-hui has finally faced the chaos of the entertainment industry head-on. It's truly more deadly than the back-and-forth battles in the business world—chaotic and toxic.

"Don't forget about retiring at forty," Cai Jinhui reminded Cai Cai, secretly regretting that she should have let her child retire at thirty.

"..." Cai Cai didn't say anything, but still emphasized, "Please don't tell anyone about this, it will affect my career."

Cai Jinhui did have a fleeting thought of telling anyone, but her child repeatedly told her not to, so she naturally listened to her child. "Come back when you're done. It'll be the end of the year for the group's annual meeting. I'll send some more people over for you. Just focus on filming and don't run around. As for interviews, don't listen to your company's side; let Cheng Tianqing see it first." She knew how sensational it would be if Nannan's background were revealed, and how many media outlets would want to interview her. Whether as Cai Cai or Cai Guinian.

"Take a look at the statement released by your family. Just have your company forward it. Don't say anything else." After Cai Jinhui finished her instructions, she also told Tang Jinyi not to rush back after she was done. She should stay with Cai Cai. Tang Jinci and Tang Jinen were also clamoring to go. She told them to handle it themselves later.

After giving a few more scattered instructions, Cai Jinhui, who was still busy with work, had to end the video call.

Cai Cai might not have understood, but Tang Jinyi did. Behind Cai Cai's back, their family had already made an agreement: they would unanimously acknowledge that Cai Cai was Cai Jinhui's biological daughter. The subsequent statement would certainly follow this pattern.

The screen flickered, but Er Ya's live stream continued. She was promoting her new drama, which she had invested in and acted in. She wrote, starred in, and directed the drama herself, or at least served as the assistant director. The new drama was adapted from her personal experiences.

"She really doesn't hold a grudge against Mu Niannian at all?" Otherwise, why wouldn't she mention it at all? Mu Niannian is engaged to Zhang Jiuming, isn't this a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and ruin her and Mu Niannian's relationship?
The Immortal Lord only knew a little about what happened back then. He knew that Mu Niannian's family had lost money and Er Ya had also received money, but given her personality, it was impossible for her not to hold a grudge against Mu Niannian.

"What exactly happened back then? You just don't remember the past, but you don't remember what happened at the time? Haven't you seen the case file?" The Tang family couldn't possibly not have seen it, could they?

Cai Cai noticed there were no outsiders here: Tang Jinyi, Dai Sichen, and a celestial being. Mei Zhang and the others were in another room; although the door was open, their conversations couldn't be heard from the other side.

Speaking of which, back then, Cai Cai almost got the Immortal Lord killed by pointing at him and accusing him of being a human trafficker. It was only after the police checked the Immortal Lord's itinerary that things were resolved. The Immortal Lord was one of the parties involved, so he told them everything, and it wasn't a big deal. Cai Cai glanced at Tang Jinyi and then spoke.

The person the human traffickers targeted back then was Mu Niannian. Her family and Mu Niannian's family were cousins, sharing the same grandfather. The traffickers targeted Mu Niannian because, in their early years, the trafficker's father and Mu Niannian's father had been involved in poaching and trafficking. After being caught and imprisoned, Mu Niannian's father became wealthy through business, while the trafficker's family remained impoverished, plagued by gambling addictions.

While working, the human trafficker happened to recognize the man he had called "uncle" who had become a big boss, and a feeling of injustice welled up inside him. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became, and the more he spied on him, the more uncomfortable he felt. He developed a disgusted thought and decided to abduct Mu Niannian to vent his anger and make some money. After some tracking and observation, a rough plan to kidnap Mu Niannian took shape.

Originally, things weren't going smoothly. When the traffickers later confessed, they said they didn't know if they were lucky or unlucky.

That day, Mu Niannian's parents came to borrow money from Mu Niannian's family, bringing Mu Niannian and Er Ya with them. They wanted to borrow money to take Mu Niannian abroad for plastic surgery. They didn't hide anything from Mu Niannian's family, saying that Er Ya had been keeping an eye on Mu Niannian's acting career all these years, and that they had planned to replace Er Ya with Mu Niannian in the past two years. However, according to the plastic surgeon's prediction, Mu Niannian's appearance wasn't good, so she needed to have surgery. Plastic surgery at such a young age isn't allowed in China, so they had to go abroad. They didn't have enough money themselves, and actually wanted to save some for themselves, so they came to Mu Niannian's family to borrow money.

Mu Niannian's parents had actually heard a little about this matter, since they were relatives and knew that Er Ya was someone they had found, and the adoption procedures were handled by her parents in their rural hometown; she wasn't even registered in their household. This was undeniably immoral. Although Mu Niannian's father wasn't exactly a saint, he only had one daughter, so he wanted to try and persuade Mu Niannian's parents. He told the three girls to go outside and play while the adults talked.

Of the three girls, Mu Niannian was the most shrewd. She coaxed the richest girl, Mu Niannian, to go buy blind boxes, but she didn't want to bring Er Ya along, so she asked Er Ya to wait for them in the park outside the mall.

The human trafficker claimed to be sent by Mu Niannian's family to pick them up when they were hailing a taxi on their way home. Mu Niannian didn't recognize the man and didn't move; Mu Niannian got into the car first.

The police later saw all of this on surveillance footage.

From the time they got on the bus until Cai Cai and the others were rescued, and before the human traffickers regained consciousness and were able to confess, it was Cai Cai, Mu Niannian, and Er Ya who did the talking.

Well, there are basically three versions. They're all different. The youngest, Cai Cai, was the most seriously injured. Her cognition was blurred, and she couldn't even say how old she was or what her name was, nor could she say her parents' home address. So at the time, the police mainly listened to Er Ya and Mu Niannian, who were around ten years old.