Chapter 469: I Just Helped Her Find Out Who Betrayed Her

When Wang Yun said those words, Bingbing’s hand paused noticeably as she held her wine glass. She took a sip as if nothing had happened and gently set the glass down.

A faint, resigned smile surfaced on her face.

She gave a slight shake of her head.

“In our line of work, there’s no such thing as real friends. Everyone’s tied together by profit. And once that’s in play, it’s all mutual scheming and second-guessing. I’ve managed to hold my ground in this industry for half my life, I just didn’t expect to end up capsizing in the shallows.”

Her tone held a quiet melancholy.

There was a certain helplessness in it all.

Her status in the entertainment world wasn’t something just anyone could attain, but it also proved the old saying true: it’s cold at the top.

Wang Yun nodded slightly, a faint smile on his lips.

“It’s the same everywhere. The moment interests are involved, everything turns into a game. I looked into it. This note lists the people responsible for what happened to you.”

As he spoke, he pulled a folded slip of paper from his pocket.

Bingbing’s eyes widened in surprise.

She took it hesitantly, unfolding it with a flick of her fingers.

The moment her eyes landed on the names, her pupils visibly dilated. No matter how experienced or composed she was, her heart still surged like a stormy tide, unable to accept it.

Wang Yun had fully anticipated her reaction. He’d felt the same shock when conducting the investigation.

Two of the names were people Bingbing had openly called her closest friends in the industry. And one of them was her own relative. It wasn’t something easy to accept to be betrayed by both friends and family

Wang Yun had simply done what he could.

The rest was up to her.

What she chose to do next was her business.

He didn’t look up to gauge her reaction. Instead, he kept his head down, focused on fishing out more seafood from the simmering hotpot.

It had to be said, her seafood was excellent.

He guessed it had been flown in that morning; both the flavor and texture were top-notch.

Not that he’d had much high-end seafood before, but even he could tell the difference.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I understand anything?” came a puzzled voice from the side.

Xiao Yanran had leaned over with a baffled expression on her face.

Wang Yun glanced at her innocent, curious look and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Be good. Eat your food and stay out of grown-up business.”

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of abalone and placed it in her bowl.

“Fine, fine. I’m already full. You eat more.”

Xiao Yanran didn’t press further. She obediently took the abalone and returned the favor, placing it back in his bowl.

Across the table, Bingbing suddenly stood up. Her expression faltered, barely holding itself together.

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom. You two go ahead and eat.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked out of the dining room. Even someone as carefree as Xiao Yanran could sense that something was off. But not knowing what to say, she glanced at Wang Yun, then silently pushed her curiosity back down.

Wang Yun watched her hesitant, nosy expression and found it oddly endearing.

“You’re a fan of Bingbing, right? You should know what she’s been through recently.”

He took the initiative to speak.

The moment she realized he was willing to talk, Xiao Yanran’s eyes lit up, and she sat up straight.

“I do!”

“Well, I just found out who was behind the reports. How she wants to handle it is up to her. But the fines she has to pay won’t be small; it’s tied to legal violations, after all. And as for the ones who reported her… well, they won’t get off easy either. No one’s squeaky clean. Everyone pays a price.”

Wang Yun said all this casually, as if he was talking about the weather.

It was the kind of statement that revealed much without giving everything away.

Even someone as sweet and naïve as Xiao Yanran understood what he meant. She nodded slowly, her expression softening as she glanced toward the direction Bingbing had gone.

“Being betrayed must feel awful,” she murmured. “I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if Xiaoxiao ever turned on me…”

Wang Yun burst into quiet laughter.

“You silly girl. You and Xiaoxiao have no business dealings. What would she even gain by betraying you? It’s not like you’re some bigshot blocking someone’s profits. And besides, since you’re my girlfriend, if something like that ever happened, I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”

He smiled as he said this.

Xiao Yanran turned her head just in time to see him stuffing a piece of napa cabbage, soaked in hotpot broth, into his mouth.

Even watching him eat… he somehow looked handsome.

Ridiculously handsome.

Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Her heart started racing again.

From the moment she’d met Wang Yun, from being just a fan to becoming his girlfriend—it all still felt like a dream.

An impossibly unreal dream.

Before she even realized it, she reached out and gently held his hand.

Wang Yun was just about to grab another bite when he felt a sudden warmth wrap around his fingers. He looked up and saw Xiao Yanran’s slightly red-rimmed eyes.

“What are you thinking about now, silly girl?”

Wang Yun put down his chopsticks and pulled her into a hug.

Xiao Yanran’s empathy ran deeper than most people’s. And it was that very quality that made her so considerate, and all the more heartbreaking to see in pain.

“Sometimes I wonder… how did I ever end up with you?” she whispered, her voice muffled against his shoulder. “I feel like… I don’t deserve you. You’re just… too good.”

Her words were soft and choked with emotion.