CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol
Chapter 46 - 44: Torturing Eagles by Reading Their Minds

Chapter 46: Chapter 44: Torturing Eagles by Reading Their Minds

"Xiao Ning, if I had known you’d turn out like this, I should’ve strangled you at birth to save myself from this disgrace."

"I have not disgraced anyone. Every penny I’ve earned is clean and honest."

Lan Yening went silent for a moment, lowered his head, and spoke with deep resignation in his voice.

"Mom, if you think there’s something wrong with me, why are you still trying to set me up with girlfriends?"

"Because I don’t want others to know you’re broken inside, to have people gossip behind my back."

Lan Yening looked up, staring blankly at his mother. His eyes were void of emotion, filled only with despair, like his soul had been hollowed out.

"Xiao Ning, I’m sorry, I—" Zhang Ya, realizing how deeply she had hurt her son, tried to apologize, but he ran off before she could finish, his face filled with despair.

The setting sun cast its glow over the park’s lake, painting it a deep red.

Sitting on a bench, Lan Yening felt like his twenty years of life had been nothing but a cruel joke.

He had done nothing wrong, yet even his dearest mother didn’t believe him.

His heart numb with despair, he sent Yuwei a text message containing just two words: "Are you there?"

But even as the sun dipped below the horizon, she didn’t reply—not even a single word.

"Lan Yening, if you had money and power, maybe Yuwei would have replied by now."

Lan Yening gave a bitter smile and shook his head.

He didn’t blame Ye Yuwei. He had known for a long time that love alone couldn’t replace reality.

Just as Lan Yening stood up to leave, Lv Zhao appeared before him, dressed in a white shirt and jeans, her long hair draped across her shoulders, wearing light makeup.

"Xiao Ning, have you thought it through?"

"Lv Zhao, this is all your doing, isn’t it?"

Lv Zhao didn’t respond but instead gave a sinister smile.

"Xiao Ning, what are you holding onto? They can give you a car, money—everything you’ve dreamed of."

"Don’t you like Ye Yuwei? A girl like her—if you had enough money, you could have her in your grasp. Hell, you could have someone even better."

Lan Yening trembled with rage. "Lv Zhao, get out of my sight! Get out!"

"Hmph! Tell me to leave? Think about your fate. Soon enough, you’ll be groveling at my feet like a dog."

"You bastard! I was blind to ever consider you a friend."

"No, Lan Yening, you were blind not to listen to me. If you were my friend, you’d have done as I said. Otherwise, you’re just harming me."

"Harming you? Ruining your chance to pocket that dirty money, huh?"

Lan Yening shouted hoarsely, shocked by the depths of Lv Zhao’s selfishness and shamelessness.

"Lan Yening, keep yelling all you want. I have ways to deal with you."

"Go to hell!"

Not wanting to entangle with her any longer, Lan Yening turned to leave, only to bump into someone.

Smack!

Before Lan Yening could see who it was, a heavy slap landed on his face, leaving him seeing stars and his ears ringing.

"You blind or something? Why’d you run into me?"

A youth in beach shorts with a tattooed arm glared at him menacingly.

"What are you hitting me for?" Lan Yening cried out in fear, clutching his face.

"Oh, you’ve got the guts to talk back?" The youth barked and followed up with a punch to Lan Yening’s eye socket.

As Lv Zhao watched this unfold, a malicious smile curled at the corners of her lips before she quietly slipped away.

"Brother Wan, I did exactly as you instructed," Lv Zhao said meekly once she returned to the car.

"Hmph, looks like this Lan Yening won’t learn without a beating," Wan Song muttered, taking a drag from his cigar.

"Brother Wan, do you think we’ll get into trouble? What if the authorities trace this back to us?"

"Do you even know who I am?"

Wan Song shot Lv Zhao a cold glare, sending a shiver down the latter’s spine.

"Relax, that brat will take the fall for everything," Wan Song said, deciding to explain since he still had a use for Lv Zhao. "Tomorrow, bring some fruit and visit him at the hospital. Have a little chat."

"Brother Wan, what if he still doesn’t agree?"

"Then wear him down. I’ve yet to meet a prey I couldn’t break," Wan Song sneered, his eyes as menacing as a vengeful spirit’s. "Now come with me. We’ve got some friends visiting tonight."

"Brother Wan, I’ve been working with you for a while now, but I’m still stuck in that crummy little apartment—"

Lv Zhao’s voice trailed off, her eyes darting nervously toward him.

"Hah! And just how much do you think you’re worth with that pathetic excuse of a body?"

Under Wan Song’s merciless scorn, Lv Zhao lowered her head in shame, too fearful to speak again.

"Fine, since you’ve been somewhat useful, here’s what I’ll do. I’ll introduce you to a few high-end clients. Whether you make any money is up to you."

"Thank you, Brother Wan." Lv Zhao’s spirits lifted. She knew these "high-end clients" were the real big spenders.

"And don’t forget to bring the candy."

"Huh?"

"This time they’re wealthy older women. Don’t screw it up."

Wan Song laughed coldly, stomping the gas pedal as the car sped out of the park parking lot.

Just as Wan Song predicted, after being beaten, Lan Yening filed a police report. The man who hit him confessed but stuck to his story that the two had engaged in a verbal argument first.

The assailant even handed Lan Yening 30,000 yuan for hospital fees and lost wages.

Though Lan Yening wanted to pursue the matter further, he lacked the ability to. Taking this to court would take too long, and at best, the assailant would only face a few days of detention.

Unless Lan Yening could prove premeditation, the man could only be charged with minor assault, at most facing a year or two in jail. But how could he possibly prove that?

The next day, as Lan Yening prepared to be discharged from the hospital, Lv Zhao appeared, limping slightly and radiating an unseemly vitality, carrying high-end fruits to visit him.

This was killing someone emotionally—psychological torment so precise you couldn’t even pinpoint the blame.

During the visit, Lan Yening remained silent, letting Lv Zhao’s words wash over him without a response.

But Lv Zhao could tell that Lan Yening was teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

Either he’d agree to her terms, or he’d be tortured into madness by Wan Song.

"Yuwei, I won’t stoop so low. I’ll never become someone like Lv Zhao. I’ll hold my head high and wait for you. I’ll make money the right way and win your love."

Lan Yening took out his phone and stared at Ye Yuwei’s photos and videos of her dancing.

She was now the sole reason he kept going.

Not far from this hospital, inside a small café...

Li Jiaqi sat across from Zhang Yuzhe, utterly uncomfortable as though sitting on pins and needles.

"Jiaqi, can we go shopping together?"

Zhang Yuzhe, now even chubbier, gasped for air as he looked at the girl of his dreams with stars in his eyes.

"Are you trying to ruin my career? I’ve just started to gain some popularity. What if some influencer catches wind of this?" Li Jiaqi shot him a fierce glare. She couldn’t hide her utter disgust for him.

Zhang Yuzhe’s eager expression dimmed slightly behind his thick glasses. Still, he leaned forward, craning his neck. "Jiaqi, can I hold your hand?"

"...What? What are you even thinking? What is wrong with you?"

"I just like you. At last time’s handshake event, I only held your hand for five seconds, but that feeling stayed with me for half a year. Every night, I think back to the moment I touched your hand."

As Li Jiaqi listened to his words and saw his expression, his obsessive gaze, and the foul stench escaping his slightly parted lips, she barely managed to stop herself from throwing up on the spot.