Chapter 17

Chapter 17: 017: Announcing She Quit, and Leaving a Big Gift

The rejection online turned feral.

The Jin Ying Festival had expected backlash, but not this—an entire internet determined to erase a name.

“One moment she gets exposed in a sex scandal, then she frames her junior. Next moment she wins an award. If it were me, I wouldn’t accept it either,” one judge snapped, anger bright in his eyes.

“Stupid.” A white-haired elder cut him down with a single word, gaze hard as stone.

The elder’s voice carried the weight of a lifetime.

“You cannot deny that in the submitted film, her acting surpassed everyone else. This award is what she deserved.”

Silence fell. No one dared argue.

Still, someone muttered under their breath, too quiet for the microphones.

“So what? It doesn’t change that her acting has been awful these past years. And who knows how many dirty things she’s done behind the scenes…”

The elder swept his eyes over them, knowing the bitterness, knowing the pressure. But he refused to betray the one thing he still owned.

Principle.

On the screen, the camera lingered on Qiao Qing Yan’s face. Regret flickered in the elder’s eyes.

He’d watched her rise like a star.

He’d watched her fall from heaven into hell.

Whatever happened next, at least tonight he could face his own conscience.

—

“Xiao Qing Yan,” Ms. Qian repeated, “go onstage.”

Under the camera’s gaze, Qiao Qing Yan rose.

She lifted her skirt and walked toward the stage step by measured step, elegant as if the entire room belonged to her.

The red gown framed her like a declaration. Diamonds flashed at her waist. The wide skirt swept behind her like a road laid out in starlight.

Splendid.

Noble.

Bright as peach blossoms in full bloom.

Even words felt insufficient beside the image.

She accepted the trophy from Ms. Qian, then stepped to the microphone and looked down at the crowd—and at the unseen audience beyond the lens.

Her lips curved. Her voice was lazy, threaded with coldness.

“I’m honored that not everyone is blind.”

The room hadn’t even finished reacting when she continued.

“From today on, I, Qiao Qing Yan, quit showbiz.”

A shockwave moved through the venue.

She tilted her head slightly, smile returning—sharp, almost playful.

“Oh, right. Before I leave, I have a gift for everyone.”

She stepped back from the microphone.

Behind her, the big screen flared—suddenly playing footage that had nothing to do with the ceremony.

A hotel hallway. Surveillance camera angle.

A woman’s voice—crisp, familiar.

“Director Liu, don’t worry. She already drank that stuff. She definitely won’t ruin your good thing.”

“Tonight, you can enjoy yourself.”

“I’ll send the contract to you tomorrow morning. You can go back and prepare.”

“Then I’ll thank Director Liu on Jingjing’s behalf.”

The hall went dead quiet for half a heartbeat.

Then the footage continued.

Half an hour later, a woman in a white, backless dress knocked on the door of the room the man had entered.

The door opened.

The woman lifted her head.

Her face filled the screen.

“Tsk…”

“How is it her!”