Elsewhere, in the deep night, there was another man and woman facing each other over a cup of coffee, in spite of the late hour.

"Murong Yue, is your stepmother truly the mother of Hu Lei?" The man asked with sharpness in his eyes.

The woman looked at the man with barely concealed adoration. She had been excited when this man of her dreams had reached out to her for a private meeting. She did not expect that it was about her career because he had never dealt with her directly. However, she could never have guessed that he was interested in that useless girl.

"Qi Han, may I ask why you are interested?" She had heard the rumours, but she had never thought that it could be true.

Her slender fingers tightened around the hot mug in anger as she waited to hear the response. She could not imagine how that nobody had come to know Qi Han.

"This is my business. I can look for information elsewhere if you do not wish to share." He retorted.

Murong Yue felt her heart break. Even though she did not have a close relationship with this man, she had always kept him in her heart. She had joined his entertainment company, struggled for resources in spite of her background and performed to her best ability. She had always thought that he would be able to see her eventually.

She had seen his dalliances with other women on occasion. But she had always known those would go nowhere. She did not mind because she knew that it would be hard for a man working in the messy entertainment industry to remain untouched by the unspoken rules. Those other women had never threatened her because she was playing the long game. With her accomplishments and family background, she had always believed that she was his best match.

But now… She felt anger.

She could overlook anything, but she could never let that shameless girl touch the man she liked.

Unfortunately, she still had an image to protect. She could not afford to react poorly and alienate this man now that he had taken initiative to talk to her.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me. What would you like to know?" She tried to calm her troubled mind.

Qi Han felt annoyed at having to repeat himself. "Is the rumour about Lu Liang and Hu Lei true?"

Murong Yue weighed her options quickly. "Yes, Lu Liang gave birth to Hu Lei before her marriage with her husband turned sour."

Qi Han frowned. "Why did she leave her child then?"

"I am not very sure because my stepmother does not like talking about it. From what I have gleaned, Hu Lei hated her mother from childhood. Maybe it was the influence of the father, but the animosity broke her mother's heart. In the end, she respected her wishes and left her."

Murong Yue spoke the words in a careless manner. She did not think too much about her story. She only cared about making Hu Lei look bad in front of Qi Han. In any case, it was not far off from the story that Lu Liang had spread in their social group.

Qi Han had been holding Hu Lei in a special place in his heart as his saviour. In the past, he would have been reluctant to believe that his angel would be full of hate since childhood. However, he had been subjected to her sharp tongue during his party.

His heart felt discomfort as he remembered how she had been all soft like a harmless kitten while cuddling up to Zhong Feng. Moreover, she had laughed and danced with that curly haired man and even teased Shun and Wang Che.

But when she had looked at him, her eyes had held no warmth. It was almost as if she had ice knives in those eerie eyes. He did not dare delude himself that she had any positive feelings towards him. It seemed as if he could die, and she would merely step over her.

He felt conflicted, but he still felt that she was his perfect girl. He could only assume that there was a misunderstanding. In his mind, he had already built up the image of Hu Lei. He believed that she was not only strong in martial arts and intelligent as seen in her career as Little Ninja Cat. She was also a kind-hearted goddess.

He adored this unicorn he had imagined.

"Have they attempted to reconcile?" He asked with concern.

Murong Yue felt even angrier, but she had to swallow it down. "Lu Liang has tried to reach out to Hu Lei, but it never seems to work. We even welcomed her to our home, but she was not willing to be close to anyone."

The man was silent for a while before sighing. "Thanks for your information. I will make sure that your help is not taken for granted."

"It is not a problem. If you need to know something else, you can call me. Even though we are not close, our family is still connected to Hu Lei." She responded with a smile.

How could she tell him that she did not want a good script or more resources but his heart? She regretted releasing the news about Hu Lei in an attempt to mooch off the popularity of her movie adaptation.

She had shot herself in the foot.