CHAPTER 303: CHAPTER 303: VACATION EXTENDED INDEFINITELY

Sang Ning’s combat prowess was terrifying. Even an ordinary vegetable leaf in her hands felt like a weapon striking hard. No one around dared step closer to her.

"Crazy woman!"

"Absolutely insane! Let’s go, stay away from this madwoman. Forget about the money!"

A group of people, fearful of being caught in the crossfire, scattered in all directions.

Sang Ning’s intent had only been to make an example out of someone. Once the crowd had dispersed, she loosened her grip on the ringleader’s collar, kicked him hard, and cursed furiously, "You get the hell out of here too!"

The skinny man stumbled back several steps, retreating to a safe distance outside Sang Ning’s reach. He tilted his chin slightly upwards and pointed a finger forward from under his chin, saying, "You just wait!"

Sang Ning opened her eyes slightly wider, clenched her fist, and made a threatening gesture. That man, terrified, scrambled away in a panic.

The people at Fountain Square had all left, leaving the plaza in utter disarray. Sang Ning walked over to Sang Youming and Hu Zhi, frowning slightly as she asked, "Dad, Mom, are you okay?"

"We’re fine, what could possibly happen to us? We’re rough folks, thick-skinned." Sang Youming replied casually, not forgetting to remove a rancid vegetable leaf stuck to his head as he spoke.

Hu Zhi wasn’t in much better shape. Her hair was sticky and clumped together from being pelted with egg liquid.

"Xiao Ning, it’s unbelievable. We’ve just moved here recently, yet somehow these people already know where we live?" Hu Zhi scratched her itchy scalp and asked in bewilderment.

Sang Ning shrugged helplessly. "In this information age, what privacy is there anymore? The landlord knows all our rental information."

"What?" Hu Zhi’s mouth opened slightly in shock. "You mean the landlord leaked our info? That’s just too despicable!"

"Who knows? As long as he doesn’t come knocking to kick us out, I’ll just consider him a decent person," Sang Ning responded indifferently.

They had only just settled in and hadn’t even warmed the chairs yet. Sang Ning wasn’t ready to face another relocation anytime soon.

Although they didn’t have much stuff, moving was still too much of a hassle.

Attracting so much attention at Fountain Square caused significant chaos. Before Sang Ning and her family could leave, the community cleaning lady arrived at the scene on her sanitation cart.

"These celebrities are so damned annoying, always causing trouble for us ordinary folks," the cleaning lady said as she got off her cart, holding her cleaning tools and muttering complaints nonstop.

Although she didn’t name names, it was obvious she was referring to Sang Ning.

Sang Youming and Hu Zhi were displeased. It was clearly those uncivilized people making a mess, and their family was just the victims. Why their daughter was being blamed was beyond unfair.

The two of them were about to step forward and argue with the cleaning lady, but before they could take a step, Sang Ning stopped them in their tracks.

She shook her head at them, then walked toward the cleaning lady. Taking advantage of the moment when the cleaning lady wasn’t paying attention, Sang Ning grabbed the broom from her hands.

"What are you—" The cleaning lady looked up, ready to scold, but her voice caught when she met Sang Ning’s teary eyes.

Her eyes were rimmed slightly red, tears precariously hanging in place, like a wounded little rabbit. The cleaning lady’s heart softened instantly.

"Auntie, I’m sorry for causing you trouble. It’s my fault. I should’ve knelt and begged those people earlier not to throw vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at us. That way, there wouldn’t have been any garbage to clean, and I wouldn’t have troubled you. But don’t worry—owning up to my own mistakes, I’ll clean this place up entirely myself so you don’t have to," Sang Ning said, her voice trembling slightly as if suppressing overwhelming grievance, evoking deep feelings of guilt.

Without lingering any further after her words, Sang Ning promptly began sweeping up the trash with vigor.

Watching her bend over and sweep earnestly, the cleaning lady’s normally sharp features softened with guilt creeping into her expression.

She felt truly ashamed.

Those people earlier should be ashamed too!

The cleaning lady only knew that Sang Ning was a celebrity but didn’t really know her well. She was completely unaware of the trending smear campaign happening online against Sang Ning.

At that moment, a sudden inspiration to document life struck the cleaning lady. She pulled out her phone, opened Douyin, raised the phone steadily with both hands, and slowly moved around, filming a 360-degree panoramic video.

She then added this caption: [It’s not easy being a celebrity. Such a nice young girl, getting pelted with vegetable scraps by a mob, and still worrying about my hardships, taking it upon herself to clean up the mess.]

The cleaning lady paired the video with a particularly sorrowful background track, making Sang Ning’s thin, retreating figure seem even more melancholic. Viewers who came across the video couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Sang Ning.

[Blasting someone online is one thing, but taking it to real life and resorting to violence? Isn’t this too much?]

[Even if Sang Ning really did those things, what does that have to do with you people? Who gave you the right to play moral enforcers?]

[Honestly, Sang Ning really has great character. If it were me, I’d be fighting back tooth and nail after being attacked with rotten vegetables, yet here she is, not only tolerating it but also cleaning up after the mess herself.]

Sang Ning hadn’t been sweeping for very long before the broom was forcibly taken back by the cleaning lady, though her demeanor had become much softer this time.

"Young lady, just leave it to me. Cleaning up garbage is what I’m paid to do. With your pace, when would you even finish? Let me handle it," the cleaning lady said.

"Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie. I’m truly sorry," Sang Ning apologized earnestly, bowing deeply before leaving.

The cleaning lady, now seeing Sang Ning in a much friendlier light, said, "Hey, you’re actually quite a good kid. Those people earlier—bullying you was their problem, don’t take it to heart."

Sang Ning responded with a gentle smile and a nod.

Being soft-spoken and conciliatory toward the cleaning lady wasn’t weakness—it was simply that Sang Ning didn’t want to vent misplaced anger on an unrelated third party. And, as proven, the lady turned out to be a reasonable person.

As for the Douyin video the cleaning lady posted, Sang Ning discovered it later—it was something she hadn’t expected at all.

Sometimes, choosing to swallow one’s pride and appear humble wasn’t the worst decision after all.

When they arrived back home, Sang Youming and Hu Zhi were still shaken by what had happened.

"Forget it. For the next few days, let’s not go out. Who knows who else might be lying in wait for us at the door," Hu Zhi muttered while removing her coat, clearly still upset about the whole ordeal.

Sang Ning shared the same sentiment. The public scrutiny should be at its peak during this period anyway.

Thankfully, they had just stocked up on groceries and household supplies. They could last three to five days without stepping foot outside.

Every time Sang Ning opened her social media apps now, all she could see was an endless barrage of verbal abuse directed at her.

Even Chu Tian and Li Sulan had accepted an interview regarding the matter. Although they didn’t explicitly name Sang Ning, their ambiguous tone left no doubt in anyone’s mind. It was enough for netizens to connect their words to the trending topic. By doing so, they had indirectly confirmed that Sang Ning had indeed stolen Chu Xi’s life of twenty years.

If the past online smear campaigns were mere minor annoyances, this recent scandal was nothing short of a career-destroying catastrophe for Sang Ning.

She received a call from her agent in the evening, informing her that the company, considering her current state, had decided to grant her a month-long leave for adjustment. The duration of the leave could even be extended indefinitely.