Chapter 19: Miss, you've wet your pants.

The flamboyant woman was named Lin Muhua, and like Nina Li, she was an actress. However, in Hong Kong, Lin was merely a D-list performer, perpetually relegated to bit parts and minor supporting roles. Like Nina, she had competed in the 1986 Miss Asia Pageant, but her overly garish style had led to an early elimination during the qualifying rounds.

Lin had always been intensely confident in her own looks, and she simply could not fathom how Nina, a girl from the mainland who dressed with such "country bumpkin" sensibilities, had managed to clinch the title of Miss Asia. She held a deep-seated disdain for people from the mainland, especially women, and consequently, she had always looked down on Nina. Yet, Nina always seemed to have the upper hand—a pattern that held true both during the pageant and after they entered the entertainment industry.

Both women had signed with Cinema City, but to Lin’s immense frustration, Nina had quickly landed the female lead in the film *Tiger Cage*, while she had been cast only as an extra without a single line of dialogue. Lin believed her own beauty and temperament were not only equal to Nina’s but actually superior. She could not comprehend why the film's director had chosen Nina for the lead. After much deliberation, she settled on a single, cynical conclusion: Nina must have offered herself to the director in a "quid pro quo" arrangement. Otherwise, there was no way a tacky girl from the mainland would have secured the role. To Lin, these mainland women were truly shameless, willing to sacrifice anything to climb the social ladder.

In reality, Lin Muhua was completely mistaken. The director of *Tiger Cage* had chosen Nina for two main reasons: first, her status as the reigning Miss Asia provided a significant marketing hook for the film; and second, Nina was genuinely stunning with a breathtaking figure. Lin’s accusations were nothing more than a product of her own warped imagination. As for whether Nina had engaged in any illicit relations with the director, Chen Hao was the one person who knew the truth. Just two days prior, after a night of heavy drinking, Chen Hao had accidentally taken Nina’s virginity. Therefore, it was impossible for her to have traded sexual favors with the director. Although Nina was determined to forge her own path in the Hong Kong entertainment scene, she was a woman of principle and would never use her body as a stepping stone for a role.

Lin Muhua, however, thought otherwise. She was convinced that Nina had traded her body for the lead in *Tiger Cage*, and this fueled her intense resentment. She felt that had Nina not "stolen" the role, it would have surely gone to her. The part was crucial, as it involved acting opposite Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat—a dream role for many local actresses. That it had been snatched away by a girl from the mainland was infuriating.

Every time Lin saw Nina, her eyes burned with rage. Today, having stumbled upon Nina shopping with a remarkably handsome man and witnessing her spending money on him, Lin seized the opportunity to make a scene. She began speaking in a biting, sarcastic tone, loudly declaring that Nina was shameless and was keeping a "gigolo." The gigolo she referred to was, of course, Chen Hao.

"These northern girls from the mainland are just plain cheap," Lin said to her male companion, intentionally raising her voice so everyone nearby could hear. "To land a lead role, she shamelessly used her body to seduce the director! And now, she’s even secretly keeping a boy toy. Some cheap women just can’t seem to survive without a man around. It’s absolutely shameless!"

"Lin Muhua!" Nina retorted, glaring at her with fury. "Stop spouting nonsense! I did not seduce the director for this role!"

"Oh?" Lin chuckled. "I didn't mention any names, did I? You’re the one who admitted it!"

"So she really did use her body to get the lead role!"
"Those mainlanders really are cheap!"
"She’ll stop at nothing to get ahead!"
"How utterly shameless!"

The onlookers, many of whom were locals with a natural prejudice against mainlanders, were easily swayed by Lin’s malicious framing. They looked at Nina with undisguised contempt. The humiliation and anger were overwhelming, but Nina felt helpless against Lin’s vitriol. Not wanting to continue the public spectacle, she turned to Chen Hao and said, "Chen Hao, let's go."

Initially, Chen Hao had no interest in engaging with a woman like Lin. However, since she had not only humiliated Nina in public but also dragged him into it by calling him a gigolo, he decided that for both their sakes, he needed to teach Lin a lesson. Being a civilized man, he chose a "civilized" way to do it.

He leaned toward Nina and whispered, "Don't worry, let me handle this annoying woman before we go."

Nina paused, surprised.

"Heh! Look at that, a pair of shameless dogs, acting all lovey-dovey in public!" Lin sneered as she saw them leaning in close, seizing the chance to stir up more trouble.

A cold smirk played on Chen Hao’s lips. In a flash, he moved with ghostly speed, closing the distance to Lin. He murmured a string of incomprehensible gibberish into her ear, intentionally distracting her. At the same time, his right hand moved with lightning precision to press firmly against a specific pressure point on her back. Because of his speed and the distraction of his nonsensical words, Lin didn't even realize he had interfered.

Lin stepped back in disgust, barking at him, "What are you saying? Don't come near me! If you have something to say, say it loud enough for everyone to hear!"

"Miss," Chen Hao replied, loudly and clearly as requested, "you've wet your pants."