Rapid Collapse (GL) - Chapter 42

Han Ning turned off the file and handed the phone to Shen Xi. She lowered her head, thinking for a few seconds. When she looked up again, her expression was more serious than ever. Frowning, she asked Shen Xi, “Why are you investigating Nie Lan? Since you know she’s not easy to deal with, why did you still ask that A-Tian to get you information?”

Shen Xi smiled, hugging a pillow in her arms. She looked relaxed and said, “I’m not in the entertainment industry struggling to survive. No matter how powerful Nie Lan is, she won’t affect me. I’m just collecting these things as stories to listen to. Who knows what really happened decades ago…” After thinking for a moment, she concluded, “Let’s just say it’s for novel research.”

Although Shen Xi didn’t care much, Han Ning couldn’t shake off a bad feeling. Shen Xi observed her expression and noticed she was still a bit tense. She patted Han Ning’s hand comfortingly and smiled slightly. “I know my limits, don’t worry.”

After saying that, Shen Xi got up and went to the kitchen to clean up the table. Han Ning let out a deep breath and leaned on the sofa, watching her busy figure. But deep down, she still felt uneasy.

She had been competing with Nie Lan in the entertainment industry for years and knew her character almost perfectly.

Back when Han Ning was a rookie just starting out, Zhou Heyang sent her for a magazine shoot. That was the first time she saw Nie Lan.

She was beautiful—sharp, stunning, and intimidating. While Han Ning admired her looks, she instinctively wanted to keep her distance and stay on guard.

Nie Lan was good at pretending. She acted affectionate with her girlfriend in public, but behind the scenes, she would trade her for resources with powerful figures without hesitation.

Even though it was Han Ning’s first time shooting for a magazine, she was already making an impression. She wasn’t timid at all, as if she was born for this industry. Her appearance was one thing, but her strong presence was another. Later, she learned from Liang Xun that while she was focused on the shoot, several businessmen outside the studio were already trying to snatch her away from Zhou Heyang, offering shocking prices.

Nie Lan was equally surprised by the high offers.

It was obvious to everyone in the industry that Han Ning had great potential. Nie Lan, standing near the white backdrop, turned slightly to look at her. Her long crystal nails tapped rhythmically on the compact powder case in her hand. Her eyes gleamed with sharp calculation and greed, making no attempt to hide her intentions.

Han Ning still remembered how warm Nie Lan was to her at first, calling her “baby,” “little sister,” and “darling”—all those overly sweet and cringeworthy nicknames. It made Han Ning uncomfortable, keeping her guard up even more.

Nie Lan tried everything to win Han Ning over, but when soft tactics failed, she showed her true colors. She started spreading rumors through marketing accounts, hinting that Han Ning was chasing after her.

When Han Ning heard about it, she felt both disgusted and amused. Without hesitation, she reposted one of the marketing accounts’ posts on Weibo, adding her own caption: “Even if I were into women, it definitely wouldn’t be with Miss Nie. We just don’t match at all~”
Of course… she got scolded by Liang Xun afterward, but Han Ning felt satisfied and had no regrets. No matter what, she refused to delete the post.

Nie Lan’s reputation took a huge hit. She was ridiculed by Han Ning’s fans for half a month and mocked by the public for being desperate. Furious, she tried to retaliate by digging up Han Ning’s dark secrets. She even hired paparazzi to follow her for days, but they found nothing. Han Ning’s schedule was almost transparent—she had no diva attitude, and, as A-Tian described, her life was just sleeping and eating, totally boring.

The paparazzi found nothing, but Nie Lan wouldn’t give up. She was determined to bring Han Ning down.

She even spent a lot of time and money investigating Han Ning’s high school days.

Eventually, she managed to dig up something useful.

One of Han Ning’s high school classmates eagerly sold her out for a high reward. The next day, gossip headlines flooded the internet: “Rising Star Han Ning Scored Only 19 Points in High School Math!”

It was something, but not much…

Han Ning raised an eyebrow and sneered. She knew exactly who was behind it. So, she simply reposted the news with a response: “Seriously, you have too much free time…” and tagged Nie Lan in the post. After posting, she tossed her phone aside and yawned.

Among Han Ning’s fans, there was a saying: “Being a Han Ning fan is very reassuring.”

Because she had a fiery temper, she always spoke her mind. She couldn’t tolerate false rumors, and she personally stepped up to shut them down every time.

Her fans weren’t pushovers either. Though they couldn’t keep up with her speed in debunking rumors, they were highly united. Their motto was: “Follow Ning Jie wherever she goes!”

Nie Lan’s latest Weibo post was soon flooded with the same four words: “You have too much free time.” The engagement skyrocketed, and her account even upgraded from a yellow verification badge to a golden one.

This whole ordeal caused Han Ning little to no harm, but she didn’t feel happy about it.

Instead, she felt a slight sense of unease.

As her career grew, so did her network. In the entertainment industry, it was hard to stay completely clean. Nie Lan’s constant scheming made her more cautious. She kept her social circle small, fearing that one day, someone close to her might become her weakness.

And now, Shen Xi was investigating Nie Lan.

According to Shen Xi, A-Tian betrayed Nie Lan because she kept delaying his salary. But if someone else offered him more money, wouldn’t he just switch sides again? And that someone could very well be Nie Lan.

After cleaning up the kitchen, Shen Xi walked over and saw Han Ning deep in thought, frowning as if troubled. She sat down gently, resting her chin on her hand, and looked at Han Ning’s profile. Her face was fair and well-defined, her features sharp yet soft.

Seeing her serious expression, Shen Xi suddenly thought—she looks handsome.

Indeed, “handsome” was a feeling, not a gender.

“Cold-faced Ning Ning…” Shen Xi called softly, leaning in to kiss Han Ning’s cheek. Han Ning smiled and returned the kiss. Wrapping her arms around Shen Xi’s waist, she asked, “What are you thinking so hard about?”

Han Ning hesitated for a moment before burying her head in Shen Xi’s neck and voicing her concern. “From what I know about Nie Lan, she’s bad, but not stupid. It’s only a matter of time before she finds out about A-Tian. If he betrays you, what will you do?”

Shen Xi felt ticklish from Han Ning’s breath on her neck and instinctively shrank back.

Noticing this, Han Ning deliberately teased her more.

“Hmm…” Shen Xi felt uncomfortable and tried to move away. Han Ning stuck to her again and whispered playfully, “Wife~ Let’s stop now. You’ve collected enough material for your villain character, haven’t you?”

“Alright, alright…” Shen Xi laughed helplessly, dodging Han Ning’s advances. She sent A-Tian a message, telling him to stop investigating and even gave him a decent payment.

“Is this okay now?” She showed Han Ning her phone. Satisfied, Han Ning nodded, placed the phone on the table, and hugged Shen Xi tightly, kissing her again and again. Shen Xi blushed, unable to resist, as Han Ning whispered mischievously in her ear, “Since you’ve collected enough villain material, how about gathering some romance scenes next?”

Shen Xi thought for a moment and asked, “Like what…?”

“Maybe love scenes…” Han Ning’s eyes sparkled, her voice turning more seductive. She glanced at Shen Xi’s collarbone and smirked. “Or even… bedroom scenes?”

Shen Xi’s eyes flashed with a charm only visible to Han Ning. Hooking her arms around Han Ning’s neck, she took the initiative to kiss her lips.

Meanwhile, neither of them realized that the message Shen Xi had sent was not only seen by a beaten-up A-Tian but also by the woman standing beside him—Nie Lan.