CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol
Chapter 45: After the revision - 43 Heartbroken

Chapter 45: After the revision: Chapter 43 Heartbroken

"Xiao Ning, you’re back."

"Ah! Mom... Can you not walk so silently?"

"What’s wrong, Xiao Ning? Why are you sweating so much?" Zhang Ya looked puzzled.

"It’s nothing, the hallway was too dark, and I got a bit scared."

"...Xiao Ning, how old are you now?"

"Mom, go rest! I’m tired too."

"Alright," Zhang Ya turned to leave but stopped, adding, "Oh, by the way, there’s a package for you. I left it in your room."

Lan Yening, feeling a vague sense of unease, returned to his bedroom and opened the package.

Inside was a large envelope, and upon opening it, he found an assortment of obscene cards inside.

On the front were all sorts of his "beautiful photos," while on the back were things identical to what he’d seen on social media today.

"This... who the hell did this?"

Lan Yening was driven so mad that he almost yelled out in despair.

"It must be Lv Zhao, it must be them."

Shaking all over, Lan Yening curled up in the corner of his bed, holding his head.

He didn’t know what to do anymore. Even reporting it to the police would be difficult since collecting evidence and investigating would take so much effort, and he himself couldn’t provide any solid proof against the other party.

But this kind of psychological torment was fatal to him.

With no solution, he could only suffer in silence, not daring to go out all day.

That evening, however, as he was about to head to the art studio, his mother returned from a walk outside, her face as pale as a sheet.

"Mom, what’s wrong? Are you having another episode?"

"No, I’m fine. I just need to know—what’s going on? Now even the neighbors are pointing fingers at us," Zhang Ya said, laying a card in front of Lan Yening.

"Mom, someone’s targeting me. There’s a mentally unwell person stalking me."

"Someone mentally unwell? Xiao Ning, be honest with me—what exactly are you doing?"

"Mom, I’m working properly. You know how some people can just be twisted inside."

Lan Yening didn’t dare to tell his mother he was working as a model. Such a revelation could kill her.

"Then let’s go report it to the police, Xiao Ning."

"It’s pointless. These things need evidence that we have to provide ourselves. Where am I supposed to get that evidence?"

"Xiao Ning, are you hiding something from your mother?"

Zhang Ya’s face turned colorless; her gaze at her son was urgent and pained.

"No, Mom! It’s just some twisted person fixating on me."

"Then report it! What are you afraid of?"

"Alright, fine then!"

With no other option, Lan Yening followed his mother’s advice.

And just as Lan Yening had expected, after recording the incident, there was no follow-up.

Time flowed ceaselessly like a galloping horse.

Yuwei returned to the center after wrapping up her scenes.

"Yuwei, didn’t the company promise to cast you as the fourth female lead in their self-produced drama?"

"That role went to Qingjia. Mr. Shen said I already played a notable role in another project."

Yuwei, munching on an apple, looked at Jiaqi helplessly.

"That role—but you risked the end of your idol career to shoulder the company through their PR storm. Even if they don’t want to give it to you, they shouldn’t just hand it to Qingjia!" Jiaqi fumed with indignation.

"There’s nothing I can do. We just have to go along with the company’s decisions." Yuwei shrugged.

After returning from the set, Yuwei couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong in this place anymore.

The space here felt so stifling; she longed for a bigger stage.

"Yuwei, what’s your plan?"

"What plan?"

"Are you still going to stay in small theaters?"

Jiaqi’s question reminded Yuwei of someone else. If she had agreed back then, she might now be in a luxurious, opulent mansion.

"If I leave the small theaters, where else can I go? This is where our roots are."

"Yuwei, I want to explore the world outside too." Jiaqi smiled faintly, though the expression was tinged with melancholy.

"You’ll get the chance, Jiaqi. I promise you."

"I believe in myself. I’ll work even harder for it."

The two held hands and laughed. In this moment, Yuwei felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

So what if the stage is small? What mattered most was being with her best friend.

Meow!

An orange tabby cat jumped over, its shiny black eyes darting around curiously.

The stray they had taken in no longer looked scruffy—it now had smooth, glossy fur.

"Come here, let Mama hold you!" Jiaqi extended her hand, and the cat leapt into her arms.

"Little Fish is so cute. It looks like it’s grown a bit," Jiaqi said, stroking the cat’s head.

Since the cat had narrowly survived, much like a fish slipping through a net, Jiaqi named it Little Fish.

"Yuwei, would you call this the symbol of our friendship?"

"Oh god! Fine, sure, whatever you say."

Yuwei tilted her head and made a silly face at the cat.

At night, all the windows in the room were open, and the serene moonlight poured in from outside.

The two lay in a bed draped with softly scented vanilla leaves.

Yuwei curled up her body, resembling the posture of an unborn child.

Jiaqi embraced her from behind, tenderly curling Yuwei’s hair around her fingers, gently stroking her bent back and knees.

"Yuwei, I can hear your heartbeat."

"I can hear yours too. Tonight feels so quiet."

Yuwei reveled in the peaceful caress.

"Jiaqi, you know what? When I was in the hotel, I could never sleep well. I was always afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Afraid of being abandoned again, afraid of being left entirely alone in this world."

Yuwei’s body seemed to tremble, haunted by the enduring nightmare of childhood memories.

"Don’t be scared, Yuwei. I’ll always be with you."

"Jiaqi, promise me something. No matter where either of us goes, we’ll call each other every day."

"Alright, as long as you won’t find me annoying."

The two embraced each other, breathing in the fragrant air of the dark night, their minds gradually at peace.

By the next day, life seemed to return to normal.

But for Lan Yening, it was the start of yet another terrible day.

As he came back from buying breakfast, he overheard his mother arguing with people who had gathered for morning exercises in the neighborhood.

"What are you all saying! You have no right to talk about my son like that!"

"And what if we did? Your son does things, but we’re not allowed to talk about it?"

"Exactly! Just look at the way your son looks—he’s clearly not decent!"

The two women’s voices boomed with confidence, loud enough for everyone in the neighborhood to hear.

"You... you’re slandering my son! My son is 20 years old, single, innocent, and pure. He’s never done anything improper! How can you be so malicious!"

Lan Yening heard his mother’s trembling voice—she was clearly enraged.

He rushed over. "Mom, let’s go home!"

The elderly residents cast disdainful looks at Lan Yening as he appeared.

Lan Yening felt utterly humiliated. Despite having done nothing wrong, and being the victim in all this, he was subjected to such slander, unable to defend himself against it.

Public opinion was like an invisible sword, capable of destroying someone completely.

"Xiao Ning, did you offend someone? Huh!" Back home, Zhang Ya looked anxious, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Mom, I haven’t offended anyone," Lan Yening quickly explained, all the while worrying about his mother’s health.

"Xiao Ning, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been doing. The clothes you wear..."

Hearing his mother’s words, Lan Yening froze in place, his pale face quickly flushing with embarrassment and anger.

To think his mother had known all along about this "shameful" matter.

"Mom, I... I did it to support our family..."

"You’re sick in the head! A proper man, and yet you dress like a woman."

"I’m not! I just use that to make a living."

"It’s because your mind isn’t right. Wearing those clothes attracts all sorts of unsavory people."

Lan Yening felt on the verge of breaking down. If he didn’t wear those clothes to perform, where would the money come from to cover her treatment, to buy food and groceries?

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