The driver retracted his hand as the host continued with his sharp and defamatory criticisms of Ning Ran.
“A movie starring someone with such lowly moral standards won’t be anything decent. I highly encourage the boycott of the movie, Sound of Thunder 2. With that, it’s time for our next segment, the call-in. You can call the hotline and we can have a discussion on air!”
It seemed to be very popular, as a lot of the calls went in, most of them agreeing with the host, chiming in on the hate for Ning Ran.
“Call him,” Nan Chen ordered.
“Huh?” The driver was confused.
“Call in, right now.”
“Okay.” The driver quickly parked the car by the side of the road as he dialed the hotline number.
It took some time, as the line was continuously busy, but in the end, the call finally went through.
“Hi there, Caller. This is your friend Bingbing.”
The driver did not know how to respond, as he soon threw a glance at Nan Chen.
Nan Chen took the phone and asked, “Are you acquainted with Ding Mi?”
“Oh? No, I’m not. May you explain further? What you are trying to say?” Bingbing asked.
“What gives you the right to badmouth her like this when you don’t even know her?” Nan Chen asked in an icy tone.
“I think that there’s a misunderstanding here, Mr. Caller. We’re merely commenting on the facts. By no means are we attacking anyone here! May I know your thoughts on this? Do you think that she is innocent?”
“Listen carefully to what I think of this.” Nan Chen responded.
“I’m all ears.”
“You’ve just lost your job.”
“Huh?” Bingbing asked playfully. “What are you talking about? Is this a joke?”
“You’ll be fired soon,” proclaimed Nan Chen as he ended the call.
Soon after, Nan Chen phoned a different number, calling Jiang Zhe.
“Mr. Chen, your orders?” Jiang Zhe immediately answered the call.
“There’s a host called Bingbing from the traffic radio. I want him out of this city. Cancel his show and get the director fired.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Jiang Zhe had no reason to argue with him. He’s just a DJ. If Nan Chen wants him gone from the city, there’s no way he’s staying.
Jiang Zhe turned around and gave out the order to the other assistants. “Time to work. There’s a DJ on the traffic radio, called Bingbing. I want him out of Flower City. His show is done too. Get the director fired!”
“Why?” The others were not as bright as Jiang Zhe. “What has he done?”
Jiang Zhe straightened his gold-rimmed glasses. “Mr. Chen will be arriving soon. You can ask him then.”
“Oh, never mind!” The assistants immediately started their work.
This was the first time Nan Chen ever called in, to a radio station. Conveniently, Ning Ran was one of the listeners.
She had gotten into a taxi just before Nan Chen was on.
Ning Ran had a mask on, with a pair of sunglasses and a hat; the whole shebang. She couldn’t even recognize herself, observing her own get-up.
To Ning Ran, it was evident that the host was attacking her. Nonetheless, she could only clench her fist angrily in response.
There was, however, a man who had called in. His voice sounded awfully familiar, catching Ning Ran’s attention.
His voice was low and attractive. Although it was distorted from the broadcast, Ning Ran could still sense its familiarity. Not to mention, the cold and intimidating tone, when he spoke.
Specifically the last statement. You’ll be fired soon.
That was so cool! It reminded Ning Ran of someone. However, she quickly dismissed her thoughts.
He’s busy, managing such a huge company. It’s dizzying to even think about how much work he has. How would he have the time to listen to a radio show? It can’t be him, even if they do sound identical.
“The series that they’re talking about is really good.” The taxi driver tried to strike up a conversation. “I follow it every day after I’m done with work. Have you seen it? If not, you should. It’s fantastic.”
At the back, Ning Ran made sure that she was not recognized before responding to the driver.
“I’ve yet to watch it. Is it really that good?” she asked.
“It’s great! The lead actress is beautiful, and her acting is top-notch! It’s really hard to find good shows like this since the local productions are literally garbage,” the driver remarked.
The driver’s enthusiasm for the show caused Ning Ran to be really happy.
“The lead actress is really beautiful, but everyone’s currently criticizing her out of envy, in my opinion. Why can’t her kids do commercials? In poor families, the children can and should also help out, in lightening the load. If those were my kids, I’d allow them to do it too. The money would be used to give them a better life anyway, am I right? People nowadays have too much time on their hands. They’re always poking their noses into other people’s lives. It’s insane!” the driver complained.
His words warmed Ning Ran’s heart. She had the sudden urge to reveal herself to the driver so that she could thank him herself.
However, she kept her composure in the end.
“Remember to watch it. You’ll like it. My whole family does,” urged the driver.
“Okay. I’ll be sure to check it out,” Ning Ran promised.
While they were conversing, a traffic jam had formed in front of them. Hence, the driver asked, “Miss, why don’t you get off here? The Nanshi Corporation is just up ahead. It might be faster for you to walk there, rather than for you to wait in here.”
“Sure, I’ll get off here then. Thank you, sir.”
Ning Ran paid the driver and got off, slowly walking along the sidewalk.
In her head, she was formulating a way to explain the issue with the commercial to Nan Chen.
She was completely unaware of it, but it was still part of her responsibility.
As the children’s guardian, she could not throw Cheng Xiangyun under the bus.
In fact, she really needed the cash, back then. Cheng Xiangyun was merely helping her out. Ning Ran figured that it was best to leave Cheng Xiangyun out of it.
To do that, I can’t mention Cheng Xiangyun to Nan Chen. In turn, I’ll have to shoulder everything.
Ning Ran knew full well how powerful the Nan family was and how much they loved kids. Therefore, this issue would most likely cause the Nan family a lot of problems.
It’s so hard. How shall I explain this?
Although Ning Ran was against the idea of the children doing the commercial, it did not seem like anyone would believe her at this point.
Well, I’ll have to face reality anyway.
Ning Ran was not concerned about anything else. Her only concern was Nan Chen. As he was the children’s father, he deserved an explanation.
No matter how their relationship evolved, she was grateful that Nan Chen had never stopped her from seeing the children. He understood that mothers had the right to be with their children.
truth. Hence, Ning Ran wanted to respect Nan Chen. As their father, he has the right to know the