CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol
Chapter 66 - 64 Girl Fangxin

Chapter 66: Chapter 64 Girl Fangxin

"Chairman Mu, what if we send Ye Yuwei?"

Old Mu, still looking puzzled, immediately displayed a peculiar smile on his greasy, oily face: "Haha, Shen Xing, that’s a brilliant idea!"

"Isn’t Penguin planning to hype their first girl group? They even want us to prop them up? Fine, let’s give them a big surprise." At this moment, Old Mu couldn’t have been more pleased with himself.

"Chairman Mu, what if Ye Yuwei refuses to go?" Shen Xing pointed out the obvious obstacle.

"She still hasn’t signed with that Wu guy. Clearly, their negotiations broke down. With a program like this, would she really miss such an opportunity?" Old Mu sneered coldly.

"Chairman Mu, if we only send her, Penguin wouldn’t be satisfied either."

"Then have Bingbing go with her. She’s our team captain and still generates some buzz."

"Haha, Chairman Mu, that’s clever! You’ve thought it through."

Shen Xing instantly understood Old Mu’s intention.

Lu Bingbing only had a year left before graduation. Her singing and dancing skills were mediocre, and her acting abilities were even worse, leaving little value for the company to exploit.

Moreover, over the years, she had become a spiritual leader for the small idols in Hanoi, with a large flock of dedicated fans following her every move.

On the surface, she appeared aligned with the company, but privately, she fought for the interests of the younger members.

The company didn’t dare touch her. Any move against Lu Bingbing could trigger mass rebellion among her supporters.

Sending her along with Ye Yuwei to this program would not only rally Hanoi fans under the guise of shared grievances but ensure they contributed material support during the upcoming general election, allowing the company to reap one last big windfall.

At the same time, the program would tarnish the positive image Lu Bingbing had carefully cultivated over the years.

Once this "spiritual leader" of Hanoi’s idols fell, the other girls would lose their backbone and become easy prey for the company to manipulate.

"Shen Xing, make sure Lu Bingbing understands that the company is arranging for her to participate to boost her popularity ahead of the general election."

"Understood, Chairman Mu. I’ll explain it to her clearly."

...

Northeastern China, somewhere.

Under the cloak of night.

The small village stretched quietly across the earth, as if submerged in an endless abyss.

Ye Yuwei pumped a large basin of water from the hand-pumped well.

The icy-cold water drenched her body, refreshing her from the sweat-soaked exhaustion she’d felt moments earlier.

Though Yu Manting had given her a card, she didn’t want to use the money inside it, so she returned to her family’s ancestral home in the village.

The place was usually lent to the neighbors next door, who in return helped keep an eye on it.

After drying off and changing into another outfit, Ye Yuwei went to the vegetable patch in the courtyard to pick some produce.

After dinner, she turned on a desk lamp and lay on the kang bed, reading a book.

Despite being hard, the clay kang bed carried a sense of authenticity when lying upon it.

She was about five or six pages into the book when she heard a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Yuwei, it’s me, Lv Fangxin."

A crisp female voice sounded from outside. Ye Yuwei shook her head helplessly before getting up and putting on some clothes to open the door for her.

The girl standing at the entrance wore a floral dress, an innocent smile blooming on her fair face. Her expression carried a touch of awkwardness. She was the third daughter of Ye Yuwei’s neighbor.

Ever since Ye Yuwei had returned to the village, the girl often came over to visit.

After finishing middle school, she stayed at home, as her parents wouldn’t let her go out to work.

Even a trip to the county required parental accompaniment, so she hadn’t experienced the "outside world."

Seeing Ye Yuwei return from the big city, curiosity naturally arose, and over time, the two became friends.

"Fangxin, why are you coming over so late?"

"Sorry, Yuwei-jie. I didn’t mean to bother you. I just remembered that back in school, we used to finish evening self-study at this hour, so..." Lv Fangxin apologized earnestly.

Ye Yuwei couldn’t help but chuckle despite feeling slightly exasperated. The girl was far too innocent.

"Fangxin, come inside and sit down!"

Ye Yuwei invited her in and made her a cup of tea.

"...Yuwei-jie, I saw you dancing in the yard just now. You’re so good at it!"

"Hmm?"

"I saw it through the crack in the wall. I didn’t know you could dance too."

Lv Fangxin looked at Ye Yuwei with admiration. Her bright eyes sparkled like tiny stars.

"I just like exercising, that’s all." Ye Yuwei hadn’t told anyone about her profession. In this conservative northern village, being part of a girl group was viewed as immoral.

"Yuwei-jie, I wish I could be like you. I’m useless at everything."

"You can learn too! It’s simple. Just practice every day."

"I wouldn’t dare. If my parents saw, they’d beat me with the rolling pin."

Looking at Fangxin’s deliberately frightened expression, resembling that of a little rabbit, Ye Yuwei couldn’t help but laugh: "Your aunt and uncle are good people."

Lv Fangxin nodded. "Yuwei-jie, I want to go out to work."

"You need to discuss that with your family first. The outside world can be very complex." After saying this, Ye Yuwei suddenly felt ancient, wondering why she would sound so much like an elder.

"My parents definitely won’t allow it. They’re busy arranging an engagement for me."

"An engagement? How old are you?" Ye Yuwei frowned unconsciously.

"It’s an engagement. They’ll accept the bride price to pay for my brother’s wedding first, and then I’ll get married and register the certificate when I’m old enough."

Lv Fangxin’s tone carried melancholy, yet little resistance.

In rural areas of northeastern China, such occurrences were commonplace. Women often resigned themselves to fate.

Ye Yuwei fell silent. After all, these were family matters, not hers to comment on.

"Yuwei-jie, can I leave with you?"

"Leave with me?"

"Yes! If you’re willing to take me, my parents will let me go."

Lv Fangxin stared at Ye Yuwei intently, her big watery eyes full of hope.

That gaze was like that of a child yearning for candy.

"Fangxin, I can’t take you with me. In the city, I’m constantly moving place to place, almost unable to make ends meet, so I came back here to rest for a while." Ye Yuwei, though sympathetic, refused her.

"Yuwei-jie, I really don’t want to get engaged, don’t want to marry, don’t want to spend my entire life never going farther than the county." Lv Fangxin grabbed Ye Yuwei’s hand, tears streaming down her face.

Her expression struck Ye Yuwei with a wave of nostalgia, recalling her days with the girl group.

When her sisters faced hardships in their careers or lives, they often poured out their pain through tears.

Ye Yuwei nearly hugged the girl but restrained herself in the end.

"Fangxin, I understand you and sympathize deeply, but I truly can’t take you with me."

"...Yuwei-jie, I know. I’m useless and would only drag you down..."

"Fangxin, it’s not what you think. The outside world looks promising, but it’s equally filled with dangers. Here, though dull, we know every blade of grass and tree intimately."

Ye Yuwei felt her mindset aging. Why would she say something so wistful?

"Yuwei-jie, do you know who they matched me with?"

"Who?"

"My middle school teacher. His wife passed away earlier this year."

Ye Yuwei was utterly stunned by Lv Fangxin’s words. How could something like this happen?

"Fangxin, this—this is absurd! How old is that teacher?"

"Fifteen years older than me. My dad says Mr. Ma has a stable job, good security, and offered a generous bride price."

Ye Yuwei felt completely speechless hearing this.

"Sorry, Fangxin, I truly can’t help you leave. If you try to run away, you might not even make it out of this village," Ye Yuwei said helplessly.

"...Well, okay. Thank you, Yuwei-jie." With hollow eyes and an expression full of despair, Lv Fangxin blankly stood up and left.

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