Chapter Five: Trending Search

If Sang Yijia remembered correctly, her eldest brother, Sang Qiwen, sought many connections and spent a considerable amount of money after learning that the original Sang Yijia had been sent to a psychiatric hospital, intending to get her discharged. However, for reasons unknown, Sang Qiwen’s company was suddenly exposed for violations, and he was taken away for investigation.

Her second brother, Sang Qiwu, seeing that the eldest couldn't get things done, acted impulsively. He refused to let his own sister spend another day in the psychiatric hospital. That night, he tried to sneak in but was accidentally electrocuted while climbing over the wall.

Her third brother, Sang Qibo, was not so reckless. He carefully analyzed the original Sang Yijia’s situation and arranged for her to be re-examined, concluding that she was not mentally ill. However, his evidence and medical certificates were deemed fabricated, and he was also arrested.

Her brothers all suffered, which was a devastating blow to Sang Zheng and their mother. Their mother couldn't bear the blow and died suddenly of a cerebral infarction.

After the original Sang Yijia died, Sang Zheng’s hair turned white overnight.

Later, Sang Zheng learned that it was the male lead who had manipulated everything. In a fit of rage, he took a knife to the male lead’s fan meeting and stabbed him, eventually being arrested for intentional assault.

"Jiajia?" Mrs. Sang grew worried when Sang Yijia stood frozen at the doorway, not responding even after several calls. "Jiajia?"

"Ah?" Sang Yijia snapped back to reality, meeting her mother's concerned gaze. Her heart trembled—she absolutely couldn't bring harm to the Sang family.

She must stay away from both the male and female leads!

Sang Yijia grew even more determined: as soon as the contract ended, she would immediately leave the entertainment industry, return home, start a small business, and live a simple, ordinary life with her family.

"Are you alright?" Mrs. Sang still remembered the earlier phone call. "Did something happen?"

"I'm fine." Sang Yijia shook her head gently. "I was just lost in thought."

"What were you thinking about?" Mrs. Sang looped her arm through hers. "Your big brother called you several times when he came in to change his shoes."

Speaking of Sang Qiwen, Mrs. Sang couldn’t help but fuss when she saw all the fruit, "If you’re coming home, just come home. Why buy so much fruit?"

"It’s not like we don’t have any at home." She wasn’t complaining about her children bringing things, only worried that buying all these would waste their time. "Wouldn’t it be better if you just came home earlier and rested?"

Sang Qiwen loosened his tie in the front hall, "Mom, Dad, the fruit wasn’t from me. Jiajia bought it."

"I just helped carry it in." Sang Qiwen smiled, then sat beside Sang Zheng. He was about to try some of the cherries Sang Yijia had bought, but before he could touch them, Sang Zheng slapped his hand away.

"Don’t we have enough at home?" Sang Zheng glared at him. "These are fresh and can be kept for a while. There’s still some in the fridge—finish those first."

With that, Sang Zheng got up and carried all the fruit into the kitchen.

Sang Qiwen paused for a few seconds, then laughed helplessly and rubbed his forehead. When he saw Sang Yijia approaching, he patted the seat beside him. "Little sis, sit."

"Big brother." Sang Yijia obediently sat down.

Seeing that the siblings had something to discuss, Mrs. Sang went into the kitchen, only to find Sang Zheng tearing open a box of cherries and eating them unwashed. Furious, she grabbed him by the ear and scolded him harshly.

"Little sis, I heard from Dad earlier that you’re no longer interested in Shen Jin. Is that true?" Without waiting for her to answer, Sang Qiwen continued, "You don’t have to hide anything from your brother. Whatever you choose, I’ll respect it."

A lump formed in Sang Yijia’s throat. The Sang family genuinely cared for and spoiled the original her. Unfortunately, she gave up both herself and her family for a man.

She opened her mouth, then nodded firmly. "Yes, I've seen things clearly now."

"I don’t want to force it any longer."

Seeing her look so dejected, Sang Qiwen frowned deeply, almost wanting to drag Shen Jin back. He clenched his fists, then massaged his temples. "Jiajia, what about that variety show?"

"Are you still going? If you don’t want to, just drop out." The penalty fee was manageable for him.

Sang Yijia thought carefully for a moment. "I’ll go."

"But my going has nothing to do with Shen Jin." After a pause, Sang Yijia looked up, her dark eyes clear and resolute. "And I want everyone to see that I won’t like Shen Jin anymore."

Looking into her eyes, Sang Qiwen believed her.

—

The scandal was dying down, but Qi Yue was still upset because Sang Yijia had apologized on Weibo. Even though she hadn’t tagged anyone, a group of people still found her Weibo and video accounts and left nasty comments.

The more Qi Yue read, the angrier and more frustrated she became, almost smashing her phone in rage.

Sang Yijia’s agent had tried to negotiate, promising compensation for losses, but Qi Yue didn’t care about money—it was she who had initiated contact in the first place.

"It’s so annoying," Qi Yue sighed heavily, hugging a pillow as she lay sprawled on the sofa. She glanced toward her brother, Qi Bin, who was busy at the kitchen island.

"Bro, didn’t you say Lu Wenchuan was going to be on that dating show? Was that true?" Qi Yue eyed her brother in the kitchen. "The show’s been officially announced, but I haven’t seen Lu Wenchuan anywhere."

Qi Bin glanced back, annoyed. "What did you call him?"

"Brother Lu," Qi Yue rolled her eyes indifferently. "He’s not here, what’s the harm in using his name?" Then she pressed on, "So is he going or not?"

"No idea." Qi Bin brought over two plates of pasta. "I don’t meddle in his affairs. Why are you so curious?"

"Just don’t fall for him," Qi Bin said as he sat down, twirling the pasta with his fork and taking a big bite. "He may look polite and easygoing, but he’s rotten to the core."

Qi Yue snorted and took small bites. "If I liked him, I’d have confessed ages ago. I’m only asking because Sang Yijia is on the show too, so you might want to warn Lu Wenchuan to steer clear of her."

Qi Bin found the name familiar but couldn’t recall where he’d heard it. "Tell me more."

"Sang Yijia entered the entertainment industry just to chase Shen Jin," Qi Yue said disdainfully, looking down on anyone who would lower themselves for a man. "But Shen Jin’s not interested and keeps rejecting her."

"Sang Yijia acts like she’s his official girlfriend—picking fights everywhere like a madwoman." Qi Yue stopped suddenly, recalling the scene of Sang Yijia quietly selecting green hawthorns, thinking she actually seemed quite pleasant in person.

Qi Yue pursed her lips and quickly finished her pasta. Setting down her fork, she grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth. "Never mind. Just tell Lu Wenchuan not to get involved with Sang Yijia, and that’s enough."