Chapter 30

Chapter 30: 030 – Another Reversal?

“I think I saw Qiao Qing Yan here, didn’t I?”

“Why would the organizers invite her? They never invited her in past years.”

“This year’s different. She won an award.”

“Her? Winning an award? Please. Who knows what she did in bed to get it.”

“The film’s coming out soon. We’ll see whether it’s real or not. Besides, her acting used to be solid.”

“Her company’s really going all out to make her popular again.”

“I heard she’s got someone powerful backing her.”

The banquet was still buzzing when a leak suddenly detonated across the internet.

?A washed-up celebrity surnamed Q climbed the ladder.?

?Shocking! A washed-up celebrity surnamed Q met with a noble lady from a wealthy family.?

?Shocking! The Best Actress trophy is suspected to be an inside job.?

The scoop came from a paparazzi entertainment account with more than a million followers—big enough that one post could light up the entire timeline.

More importantly, he didn’t just drop a set of photos. He claimed an audio recording was coming next, and told everyone to wait and see.

Even without the audio, the photos alone were enough for people to dig up a storm.

The timestamp on the images was from the very day of the Jin Ying Festival. Sharp-eyed netizens also realized they matched the earlier scandal—the one claiming Qiao Qing Yan had been dragged into Director Liu’s so-called “rules,” the same shots of her meeting a “noble lady.”

In the pictures, the noble lady sat inside a luxury car with a Beijing plate. The number had been blurred, but the model was unmistakable to anyone who cared about that kind of thing: a customized Rolls-Royce, rumored to cost more than 10 million on the market.

And the woman herself… jade bangle, jade ring, and luxury goods that looked just as expensive. Every detail screamed money.

“So Qiao Qing Yan latched onto a wealthy family. No wonder she’s so arrogant.”

“Maybe she stacked money on top of money to buy that award. Otherwise why would they add one at the last second just for her?”

“So is she quitting because she’s about to marry into a wealthy family?”

Speculation multiplied faster than anyone could delete it. But in the end, most people agreed on one thing: the Jin Ying Festival had to be dirty.

Qiao Qing Yan had found a rich backer. And “leaving the industry” meant she was about to become a wealthy family’s wife…

Two hours later, when the frenzy hit its peak, the account released the promised audio clip.

“This is your only chance to marry into a wealthy family.”

“Don’t worry, Miss Qiao. The Wang family keeps its word. We’ll not only let you leave the industry spotless, we’ll also send you off in glory—with a trophy in your hands. You’ll retire from showbiz as a wealthy family’s wife.”

“Think it over carefully, Miss Qiao. Give me your answer before the awards ceremony officially begins.”

The noble lady’s voice was cold, proud, and dripping with contempt.

And that recording—whether it was real or not—nailed Qiao Qing Yan to the wall in the public eye.

“What? So our Jing Jing was dragged out to take the fall? And that security footage was fake too?”

“Give our Jing Jing her innocence back!”

“That washed-up actress has gone too far. Just to marry into a wealthy family, she’ll do anything—framing her own Junior Sister and even rigging the Jin Ying Festival!”

“So when she said she was quitting, it was actually to marry rich? Disgusting. Someone like that doesn’t even deserve to live.”

The scandal escalated by the minute. Qiao Qing Yan’s agency, Xu Shu Jing’s agency, and the Jin Ying Festival organizers all got dragged into the fire, torn apart by keyboard warriors with nothing to lose.

The hotel casting-couch scandal flipped again. Director Liu and Xu Shu Jing turned into the “victims,” forced to wear the blame.

And once again, Qiao Qing Yan was drowned in insults.

At the banquet, phones began to appear in hands like a chain reaction.

“Hiss—did you check? It flipped again,” someone hissed, eyes glued to the screen. “It flipped hard.”