Phoenix A: Internet Sensation! ( GL , ABO) - Chapter 7

Oh, right. They still needed to find the female lead.

Thanks to Shen Nian’s reminder, 432 suddenly remembered. It quickly activated the tracking function and asked seriously,
“Nian’er, have you ever heard the phrase ‘Love awaits around the corner’?”

Shen Nian frowned.
“What?”

She instinctively stepped forward. As she rounded the side hallway, she really did see Jiang Zhiwan.

But Shen Nian’s gaze only paused on her for a moment before shifting toward another omega in the room.

Luo Shan stood there with a warm smile, holding a glass of wine and chatting easily with a few actors from the crew.

Shen Nian narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

“System, I suppose after all this fake friendliness, she’s about to slip into her classic villain mode, right?”

“Something like that. So Nian, go ahead. Don’t hesitate. Save your girl.”

“432, you’re such a fool.”

After delivering that emotionally devastating comment, Shen Nian cut off contact with the system and calmly stepped forward.

According to the original storyline, Luo Shan was about to approach Jiang Zhiwan with a toast.

Even though this was just a wrap party meant to help everyone unwind after months of filming, and the drinks being served were all mild fruit wines, there was still a problem.

No one would have guessed that Luo Shan had specially arranged for these wines to include specific ingredients. One of those ingredients just happened to be something Jiang Zhiwan was severely allergic to.

Luo Shan had invested in the project but failed to land the lead role. Now, she wanted to use this final moment to make Jiang Zhiwan suffer just a little.

Shen Nian had gone out of her way to attend this event for exactly this reason. The timing was perfect, and she was ready to act.

Aside from being a popular actress, a few people here also knew Shen Nian’s true background.

She was the eldest daughter of the Shen family, and the sole heir to the Shen Corporation.

Those who didn’t know treated her casually. But those who did were naturally more cautious and respectful.

As Shen Nian approached, a few people took the initiative to greet her.

She responded politely but kept her distance, giving off the impression that she had just happened to pass by and was saying hello out of courtesy.

Ji Xicheng followed close behind and raised an eyebrow. Shen Nian never liked crowds. If she ended up walking into one tonight, it was clearly her own doing.

The party was being held at Xinjia Hotel, which just so happened to be one of the properties under Luo Shan’s aunt’s name.

So after exchanging a few pleasantries with the guests, this could be considered her home turf.

Seeing that the timing was right, Luo Shan motioned for the servers to begin distributing drinks.

“Thank you all for taking care of me throughout filming. This is a new fruit wine specially created by Xinjia Hotel. I hope everyone will give it a try and let me know what you think of the flavor.”

No one suspected anything and accepted their glasses without question. Many took a sip and found the taste to be quite special.

Jiang Zhiwan accepted a glass but didn’t drink right away. Her eyes remained quietly fixed on something, and it was clear her mind was elsewhere.

Luo Shan was about to walk over and offer a toast, but before she could take two steps, Shen Nian casually intercepted her.

Shen Nian knew exactly how people like Luo Shan operated. A public toast might seem polite, but it actually put pressure on the other person.

There were already rumors within the crew about tension between Jiang Zhiwan and Luo Shan.

If Jiang Zhiwan refused to drink the wine in front of everyone, there was no telling how others might twist that story afterward.

According to the original plot, Jiang Zhiwan was just a newcomer with no support. The only person she could possibly rely on was Shen Nian, an alpha who viewed her as nothing more than a substitute.

It was a sad situation.

Shen Nian hid her thoughts behind a calm expression, maintaining her usual composed demeanor.

She didn’t know Luo Shan well, but she had dealt with her aunt a few times in the past.

She brought up that connection directly.

“It’s been a while since I last saw your aunt. How has she been? Still busy picking new scripts?”

Given Luo Shan’s reputation for dramatic outbursts and constant troublemaking, it was a wonder she hadn’t yet been exposed for mistreating others. The only reason she had survived this long in the industry was because of her influential aunt.

Yu Xixuan had entered the industry early and was known for both her looks and talent. With a strong background to support her, she could easily provide her niece with protection and resources.

Luo Shan was surprised by Shen Nian’s sudden conversation but quickly recalled some of the messy rumors tied to her romantic history. That helped her reach a conclusion.

So Shen Nian had her sights set on her now?

Luo Shan had little respect for spoiled rich types like her. But since this was the heiress of the Shen family, and she had just brought up her aunt, she knew she had to respond with at least some respect.

She smiled and answered carefully.

“My aunt is always busy. I’m not entirely sure what she’s working on right now, but I think she’s preparing her next project.”

Shen Nian nodded and took a sip from her wine glass. She seemed casual and natural as she complimented the drink.

“This new fruit wine has a very smooth and sweet taste. At first, it’s like a fruit juice, but then there’s a slight kick at the end. Very well balanced.”

She paused as if savoring the flavor, then added thoughtfully,

“There’s also a faint hint of sourness. Is there hawthorn in it?”

Luo Shan hadn’t expected her to be that discerning and took the opportunity to flatter her.

“Impressive, Miss Shen. You even noticed the subtle ingredients.”

“Yes, we added some hawthorn to help balance the sweetness and bring out a more layered flavor.”

Shen Nian nodded again, then suddenly turned her gaze toward Jiang Zhiwan. She smiled as if offhandedly saying,

“Then I suppose Jiang Zhiwan shouldn’t be drinking this.”

“I was a little bored on set earlier and happened to skim through the actor profiles. If I remember correctly, I think I saw that she’s allergic to hawthorn.”

Jiang Zhiwan hadn’t expected Shen Nian to step in and help her so conveniently.

But she was happy to let it play out. When Shen Nian looked at her directly, waiting for confirmation, she answered calmly and clearly.

“That’s right. I have a severe allergic reaction to hawthorn.”

That settled it. She obviously would not be drinking the wine.

Because of Shen Nian’s casual comment, Luo Shan’s entire plan was now ruined.

She couldn’t possibly continue pressuring someone to drink wine that everyone now knew could trigger a serious allergic reaction.

There was nothing more she could do.

Faced with the person who had just ruined her plans, Luo Shan felt a surge of anger rise in her chest. But she couldn’t show it. She had no choice but to force it down and replied with a vague smile and a slightly sarcastic tone.

“Miss Shen, you seem to care quite a bit about Miss Jiang.”

Out of so many actors and so many personal profiles, how was it such a coincidence that Shen Nian just happened to remember Jiang Zhiwan’s allergy?

Could it be that this spoiled rich girl had taken a liking to Jiang Zhiwan? Otherwise, there hadn’t been any rumors of a connection between them.

Then why had she come over to speak with Luo Shan at all?

Shen Nian picked up on Luo Shan’s shift in mood. Knowing how petty and vengeful she could be, Shen Nian figured that after her failed attempt tonight, she was probably fuming inside.

She found the whole situation amusing but didn’t let it show. She calmly replied,
“I just flipped through a few files during a quiet moment. Hers happened to be on the first page. That’s all. I wouldn’t say I care particularly.”

Luo Shan didn’t seem entirely convinced.

Shen Nian casually twirled the wine glass in her hand and raised her brow slightly with a faint smile.
“Maybe you could call it fate.”

Seeing Shen Nian’s relaxed and indifferent expression, Luo Shan finally convinced herself that there really was nothing going on between them.

It must have just been a coincidence. Jiang Zhiwan had gotten lucky tonight. Still, she told herself that it would be best if they didn’t cross paths again in the future. Next time, Jiang might not be so fortunate.

Although Shen Nian had ruined her plan, Luo Shan couldn’t lash out directly. All she could do was bitterly resent Jiang Zhiwan for her maddeningly good luck.

She had no interest in staying at the party, but since everyone was still here, she couldn’t just leave. So she forced herself to stay and keep up appearances.

Shen Nian remained alert in case Luo Shan tried to pull any other tricks. Not wanting to be caught off guard again, she made the decision to stay close and endure a bit of awkward small talk.

From a distance, Ji Xicheng watched this with wide eyes, so shocked she actually rubbed them in disbelief.

Wait a second. Was that really her shameless, arrogant alpha friend?

Since when did Shen Nian take the initiative to stick so close to an omega and make conversation?

Disgraceful. Absolutely shameless.

Ji Xicheng, who had spent a lot of time with both of them lately, already didn’t think much of Luo Shan. Now, seeing Shen Nian follow her around like that, she couldn’t help but want to interfere and snap Shen Nian out of it.

She couldn’t just stand by and watch her friend walk straight into a pit of fire.

Luo Shan, after all, was notorious behind the scenes. She regularly yelled at and mistreated her assistants. She never showed anyone a kind face.

Sure, Shen Nian might have a sharp tongue and be a bit shallow, but Ji Xicheng wasn’t about to watch her throw herself at someone like that.

But as it turned out, Ji Xicheng was overthinking it. Anyone who got close could tell right away that the atmosphere between the two was all wrong.

Despite Shen Nian’s famously good looks and popularity with omegas, Luo Shan wasn’t impressed at all. In fact, the longer she looked at Shen Nian, the more annoyed she became.

There was no warmth in Shen Nian’s eyes as she followed her. In fact, there was a faint look of disdain.

What exactly was she disgusted by?

If she found her so unpleasant, why did she insist on sticking around?

With nowhere to vent her frustration, Luo Shan gave up on causing trouble for Jiang Zhiwan and focused entirely on dealing with this infuriating alpha instead.

She couldn’t do much to someone with Shen Nian’s status, but she could at least get her drunk. No one could find fault with that.

Her plan in mind, Luo Shan became noticeably friendlier and started encouraging Shen Nian to drink more.

She told herself that if she couldn’t get this woman to stumble out of the hotel by the end of the night, she’d consider it her own loss.

Shen Nian could see through her intentions easily. But she didn’t feel like calling her out.

A few extra glasses of wine meant nothing to her. As long as Jiang Zhiwan could make it home safely tonight, she didn’t mind making that sacrifice.

Even so, she wasn’t just going to sit there and let herself be poisoned. Every now and then, she used a few tricks to discreetly pour out some of the wine.

She thought she was being subtle and that no one had noticed.

What she didn’t realize was that Jiang Zhiwan had been quietly watching her from across the room the entire time.

The amount of allergens in one glass of fruit wine was actually very limited. As long as she didn’t drink it carelessly like she had in her previous life, nothing serious would happen.

She had also taken her allergy medication beforehand and was well-prepared. Luo Shan’s little plan didn’t scare her.

What did surprise her, however, was Shen Nian’s behavior tonight.

This time, Shen Nian had stepped in on her own without asking for anything in return. She had protected her without a price.

About that explanation earlier, Jiang Zhiwan knew she had lied.

Shen Nian hadn’t just happened to see her allergy listed in the files. She had known all along.

After all, they had been living together for some time.

Why would Shen Nian suddenly do something like this?

Jiang Zhiwan realized she no longer understood this alpha at all or maybe, she never truly had.