Elena Shen spent a night and half a day at the Jiang family's ancestral home after returning this time.
Just after lunch the next day, she received a call from Professor Lin, summoning her to the lab.
Elena packed up quickly and headed back to Huai University.
Moments after she stepped through the university gates, a trending topic exploded on Weibo.
Unaware of the brewing storm, Elena hadn't checked her phone. She remained oblivious to the chaos outside.
By the time she finished up in the lab and walked out of her experimental class, the sky had already turned to dusk.
She pulled her phone out of her bag. As notification after notification flooded in with endless chimes and Weibo pushes, Elena frowned.
Ignoring the barrage of messages, she noticed Adrian Jiang had called her two hours earlier. Without much thought, she tapped to call back.
The line was quickly connected.
Annie Gu's voice came through, laced with concern.
"Elena, have you seen the trending topic?"
Elena walked out into the autumn air.
The cool evening breeze lifted some of her exhaustion, clearing her mind.
Stepping on golden fallen leaves and breathing in the crisp air, she replied casually, "Not yet. What's going on?"
At the other end, Annie hesitated.
She seemed at a loss for words, uncharacteristically quiet.
Finally, with a sigh, she said, "It's hard to explain. You'd better check it yourself."
Elena's steps slowed. She pulled the phone from her ear, exited the call screen, and opened Weibo.
The moment the page loaded, it refreshed automatically and played the most-viewed video.
In the video, Grace Su was seen stepping down from an awards stage in a glamorous fishtail gown, confidently slipping into a flashy, high-profile Xibell sports car.
The license plate was conspicuously rare, and the paparazzi made sure to film it up close for identification.
Then, the scene shifted—through the tinted windows, Grace was seen with her trophy, intimately clinging to the man in the driver's seat, seemingly sharing a kiss.
With the backing of Adrian Jiang in recent years, Grace Su's fame has skyrocketed, earning her the title of "new screen goddess" among non-industry fans.
Her followers shared the video like wildfire, and the comment section was flooded with "They're perfect!" and "OTP goals." Even the trending topic was sensational:
**#Second Young Master of the Jiangs, Heir of Radiant Media, Reveals Romance with Rising Screen Goddess#
Elena remained impassive.
She exited Weibo, returned to the call screen, and put the phone back to her ear.
Annie's anxious voice came through again:
"Elena, sweetheart, don't be upset—"
Elena chuckled softly, cutting her off gently as she continued walking.
"I'm not upset. This kind of trending gossip? It's not the first time."
From the moment Grace Su entered the entertainment industry…
From the moment Adrian Jiang started showering her with resources…
These sorts of rumors have surfaced time and again.
Previously, the scale was small.
The paparazzi barely released anything before it got suppressed.
But this time, Adrian hadn't intervened at all. The video had been circulating for over three hours and was still gaining traction.
Push notifications continued to bombard her phone like an endless tide. Elena turned off all push alerts before returning to her call with Annie.
"You called me so many times just because of that video?"
Annie's tone was full of indignation.
"That video isn't reason enough to be mad?"
"This isn't the first scandal, sure, but this level of media frenzy—this is a first in the last two years."
"Does Adrian Jiang forget your engagement hasn't been called off yet?"
"Maybe the entertainment world doesn't know about your childhood engagement, but the elite circle does, right?"
"This kind of spectacle—how is he not shaming you?"
"Couldn't he at least wait until after the engagement was called off before boosting his little sweetheart? Or is he that desperate to help her climb up?"
After Annie vented her frustrations, Elena responded with calm composure, as if soothing the one who should've been soothing her.
"If she wants to climb up, let her. "What's the point in getting mad?"
"Besides, yes, the Shen and Jiang families agreed on an engagement, but it was never specifically to Adrian. Even if it were to be canceled, it wouldn't have to be by him."
Annie paused, stunned by how composed Elena was.
After a few seconds of silence, she asked hesitantly:
"Elena, do you really not care at all?"
Elena held her phone, a faint smile playing on her lips. "No, I don't."
She and Adrian had grown up together, suited to being childhood companions.
Suited to being siblings.
But definitely not suited to being bound by a political marriage.
He hated arranged marriages and was clearly drawn to Grace Su's type. Let him support the one he loves—what did it have to do with her?
—
Meanwhile.
At the same moment.
Inside the towering headquarters of Radiant Media.
Grace Su had changed into an off-shoulder A-line gown and high heels. Her makeup was delicately seductive as ever, carrying a custom handbag as she entered the building.
From the front desk to the agents and assistants, everyone greeted her with admiration and flattery.
One junior assistant, clearly new and naive, glanced at the trending video and exclaimed upon seeing her:
"Miss Su, is it true that you and our Young Master Jiang…"
"Isn't it obvious?" the crowd chimed in, their voices filled with fawning. "Out of all the female celebrities under Radiant Media, who else gets special treatment from Young Master Jiang?"
"Exactly! Miss Su, when you become our future lady boss, don't forget us!"
Grace maintained her flawless smile.
She neither confirmed nor denied the assumptions and flattery.
Her agent, Bai Yi, stepped out of the elevator just then. Seeing Grace arrive, she changed course and hit the elevator button again.
"Second Young Master is in the top floor lounge."
Grace nodded, entered the elevator with her, and pulled out a compact mirror to ensure every detail of her makeup was perfect before stepping out into the lounge.
Adrian Jiang sat on a leather couch, staring blankly at his phone, ignoring the barrage of trending topics. His eyes stayed fixed on the screen, as though waiting for someone's call.
Evening approached, and the sky outside dimmed.
Nearly four hours had passed since the video went viral. Despite the flood of media attention, not a single call or message had come from Elena.
The last message from her dated back over two weeks ago. Adrian's grip on his phone tightened gradually.
His eyes darkened, resentment gathering in his gaze.
After a long silence, he let out a bitter laugh.
With a snap, he tossed the phone onto the table.
He must be out of his mind—actually allowing Grace Su's low-level publicity stunt to continue.
Elena had already seen through his ambiguous relationship with Grace before.
Even then, when nothing had truly changed between them, she hadn't said a word, hadn't asked a single question. It was like she didn't even see it.
Now? She would never care who he got caught in a scandal with.
Adrian clenched his hand until his knuckles turned white.
Grace Su entered the room.
Seeing the man seated with his back to the door, she stepped in with a smile that accentuated her allure.
"Adrian, an investor, is hosting a dinner tonight. Would you come with me?"
Before she could approach him fully, his cold voice cut through the air:
"No time. Go by yourself."
"And leave."
Grace froze.
Her expression stiffened.
She walked around the sofa to face him, about to explain. But her eyes caught a glimpse of his phone screen—still open on his WeChat chat with Elena.
Her fingers curled tightly. A flicker of jealousy passed through her eyes, but her face remained composed.
"Did Elena misunderstand something?" she asked softly. "Adrian, I can explain to her about the video and all the heat—"
Adrian interrupted coldly:
"You know better than I do what the real story is behind that trending video."
"No need to act here—there are no paparazzi and no audience in this room."
Grace's nails dug into her palm.
All the joy she'd felt earlier, thinking Adrian hadn't suppressed the scandal, evaporated.
Her face turned pale.
She tried to speak again, but Adrian was already in a foul mood. Without giving her a chance, he issued one final order:
"I have things to do. Get out."
Grace bit her lip, swallowed her resentment, and left the room.
After she was gone, Adrian picked up his phone and coldly dialed his assistant.
"Eric, scrub the trending topic. Wipe it clean."