Chapter 29

Chapter 29

Sometimes, when anger reaches a certain point, it just fades away.

Feng Yiyan threw his phone aside, closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and then headed to the bathroom for a shower.

After the shower, he didn't bother to dry his hair. He leaned against the headboard, his eyelids drooping listlessly as he scrolled through Weibo, glancing at the comments criticizing the interview. He used a secondary account to like comments criticizing dropping out of school to chase celebrities.

Then he noticed that the girl named 'Feng's little lamb who doesn't eat grass' was significantly affected by this.

His influence was indeed too great. Although he didn't name names in the interview, many guessed he was referring to this 'Feng's little lamb'.

Even though the girl said she would go to school in the capital, the comments were harsh, accusing her of wasting her hard-earned education and being brainless for chasing stars. Some even dug up her photos, hurling insults that were almost cyberbullying.

Feng Yiyan knew who he really wanted to criticize, and it wasn't this blogger.

He called his company's public relations department, instructing them to handle the public relations and mitigate the impact on the girl. Then, casually, he had the finance department transfer one million to her as compensation, and the legal department to sign a confidentiality agreement with her, ensuring she wouldn't disclose the matter in any way.

The blogger 'Feng's little lamb who doesn't eat grass' was originally named Yang Caocao.

She had a night she would never forget.

That night, she was overwhelmed with joy and disbelief that her idol had noticed her, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Yet, she was also deeply saddened by his disapproval of her choices. It was an emotional rollercoaster, unsure whether to scream in excitement or cry into her pillow in sorrow, nearly driving her crazy.

But then, as she read through the harsh and piercing comments, her emotions gradually turned to distress.

Just as this distress was about to deepen, miraculously, the insulting comments began to disappear one by one, and the trending topics criticizing her were deleted.

As public opinion shifted, influencers and marketing accounts started praising her, saying that admitting mistakes and correcting them was the mark of a good student.

What left her even more confused was that Feng Yiyan's company contacted her, offering one million in compensation because the interview had inadvertently targeted her.

Her family background was quite ordinary, and one million was a significant amount for her family, like a gold brick falling from the sky.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she cried once more.

Although her idol said not to chase stars or admire him, she felt incredibly lucky to be a fan of such an idol...

.

Lu Shiling watched the interview multiple times.

Everyone thought he was referring to the fan with the Weibo name 'Feng's little lamb who doesn't eat grass', but she knew that the person he really wanted to criticize was Lu Ke.

Lu Ke.

She clutched her wine glass, took a sip of red wine, narrowed her eyes, and an angelic, pure, and beautiful face appeared in her mind.

Even now, she couldn't figure out that Lu Ke.

If she had foreseen this series of changes and deliberately acted that way... then she was a master of creating chaos, and Lu Shiling had met her match.

A wave of frustration welled up in her chest.

The alcohol surged, and Lu Shiling, now drunk, slumped over the bar at home, her head resting on her arm. With a poke of her finger, the glass filled with red wine shattered on the floor, the wine spilling and the shards scattering like ice fragments.

The elderly housekeeper came over, cautiously asking, "Miss, what's wrong?"

Lu Shiling: "Get out, don't bother me."

Instead of receiving kindness, she was rebuked, leaving the housekeeper embarrassed. She awkwardly turned to fetch cleaning tools.

Lu Shiling opened a bottle of liquor from the cabinet behind her, popped it open with a bottle opener, and took a few sips directly from the bottle. As her cheeks flushed pink, a glint of determination flashed in her eyes, as if she had made up her mind.

Instead of smashing things to vent her emotions, she placed the liquor back in the cabinet. Battling dizziness, she found some hangover medicine and water in a drawer and took them.

She changed into a dress, applied makeup, touched up her hair, and then spent a moment in front of the shoe cabinet filled with options before selecting a pair of stilettos.

Afterward, she walked out of her house carrying a bag full of beer cans.

The family driver, as per her instructions, drove her to a secluded lakeside in the suburbs.

Lu Shiling placed the bag full of beer cans to the side, made a call and hung up immediately. She then pressed the power button five times in a row to trigger the emergency contact function.

After completing these actions, she set her phone to silent mode, placed it face down, and started pulling beer cans from the bag. She opened them, dumped the beer into the lake, and tossed the empty cans onto the grass at her feet.

After dumping six cans, she timed it and drank one, then closed her eyes and waited, her expression calm.

...

The next day, the internet blew up with gossip.

#Feng Yiyan's Relationship Exposed#

#Feng Yiyan Meets Drunk Beauty at Night#

#Top Star Sends Beauty Home Late at Night#

#Scandal#

A low-tier entertainment reporter posted a video late at night with the caption 'Top Star Meets Girlfriend Late at Night.'

The video, obviously shot from afar, was blurry. It began with a woman in a short-sleeved shirt and long pants helping a woman, only visible from the back and a glimpse of her delicate side profile. She had long black hair reaching her waist, a slim and graceful figure, and was wearing stilettos, walking unsteadily, making one worry she might fall.

Worried that people might miss the significance, the video circled the plainly dressed woman in bold and labeled her as one of Feng Yiyan's assistants, Fang Leiyuan.

Trailing them by three or four steps was a tall young man in a short-sleeved work shirt, straight loose shorts, and a cap, his hands in his pockets, his side profile expressionless.

Even in the low-quality video, his striking physique and face were unmistakable, easily recognizable even by casual fans.

The video also specifically circled the luxury watch on his wrist, a limited edition piece Feng Yiyan often wore, worth a fortune in Shanghai.

Instantly, Weibo and Douyin exploded, and major new media platforms were overwhelmed. The internet was swamped with reports about the incident, completely overshadowing the previous interview, nearly crashing Weibo.

—Yesterday, I was moved when he scolded fans for being love-struck. Damn, turns out he's the one in love, showing loyalty to his girlfriend!

—Your idol has fallen.

—For the record, Feng Yiyan is not an idol! He never relied on selling a boyfriend image. So what if he's dating? What's it to you?

—This woman probably arranged to be filmed for publicity. So disgusting, stay away.

—Maybe the wild girlfriend couldn't stand the loneliness and wanted to go public. It's not the first time.

—Take our Yiyan away, ugh, ugly woman, get lost!!!

The public was in an uproar, and resourceful netizens dug up Lu Shiling's real information, including her name, photos, the school she attended, and her current school abroad.

—This girl wrote love letters to Feng Yiyan in high school. Wow, so disgusting.

—Have you seen her Weibo posts? All sorts of hints. Like the photo she posted during Feng Yiyan's concert at Qingkong Hall in February, with her hand reaching towards the sky, captioned 'White clouds in the blue sky.'

——"White clouds in the blue sky, visible but unreachable, what is she subtly expressing? Is this cringe-worthy literature deliberately sent for Feng Yiyan to see?"

——"What a calculating woman."

——"Lu Shiling, can you stop acting crazy? Look in the mirror, do you even deserve him?"

——"Our darling is tainted by such a woman."

The overwhelming negative public opinion swept towards Lu Shiling like a hurricane, and efforts to suppress or remove trending topics were futile. There were even various black-and-white photos, ugly photos, and memes.

Lu Shiling's Weibo and Douyin accounts, used to share her life, were all exposed and blew up so intensely, filled with onlookers, a small group of well-meaning fans, and the vast majority of outraged fans who came to insult. Even videos of landscapes had tens of thousands of comments filled with insults.

Even her private phone number was leaked, and countless text messages and phone calls poured in.

Lu Zheyuan, Yang Yuguo, and others were extremely anxious about this sudden upheaval and hated with a passion towards the paparazzi who took the covert photos. They wanted to confront the paparazzi, but he knew he had done something 'big' and had fled overnight, and no one could contact him.

This news blew up so intensely that even foreign websites made it their headlines, and suppressing or removing trending topics simply didn't work. The public opinion escalated to such an extent that it was already beyond their control.

What worried them more was that Lu Shiling had locked herself at home, even kicked out the housekeeper, and refused to see anyone, and they didn't know how she was doing.

They could only suppress their anxiety and go to Feng Yiyan's company to discuss strategies, to see how to deal with this wave of public opinion.

.

The meeting room was very lively. The solid wood conference table could seat sixteen people, enough for a large-scale meeting, but now not only were the chairs full, but many people were also standing on the side, each holding folders or notebooks.

Even on the ground sat a few, with slim laptops on their knees, clearly in work mode.

Among these people were the in-house PR team from Feng Yiyan's company, and also the top-tier PR team brought by Qiu Jiapo. The PR specialists were all dressed in suits, and the women were also formally dressed.

But the person sitting at the highest position at the conference table was dressed very casually, just in a T-shirt and long pants, and wearing a baseball cap.

Feng Yiyan's baseball cap covered his black forehead hair, his cold, phoenix-like eyes half-closed, his face expressionless, emitting an unapproachable aura, clearly in a bad mood.

He remained detached throughout the meeting, initially leaning back in his chair playing with his phone, then stopped playing with the phone but didn't pay serious attention either, arms crossed as he lowered the brim of his hat, legs crossed and resting on the conference table, completely disregarding others' gazes and feelings.

Of course, no one dared to say anything to him.

The top PR experts were passionately discussing, brainstorming, throwing out one executable plan after another. Qiu Jiapo, Yang Yuguo, and the others furrowed their brows, seriously listening, continuously calculating the effects of implementing the plans, then rejecting them one by one.

After more than an hour, their faces showed signs of frustration.

Lu Zheyuan sighed, as if making a decision, and looked at Feng Yiyan.

He knew Feng Yiyan's state wasn't right, silent the whole time, exuding a strong and oppressive aura, the PRs didn't dare speak to him the entire time, even they, these old friends, felt a bit intimidated, but there was no other way.

He hesitated for a moment, then steeled himself and said to Feng Yiyan: "A Yan, now only you personally stepping in can turn this situation around..."

Feng Yiyan's face, which had been expressionless the whole time, revealed a hint of mockery, asking him: "How to turn it around?"

Lu Zheyuan: "Best if you could make a public announcement with Shi Ling."

He quickly added: "It can be a fake announcement, first help Shi Ling get through this crisis, and when the heat dies down later, quietly break up..."

Now the reason Lu Shiling was being criticized so harshly was largely due to the lack of an official announcement or recognition. If acknowledged by the main party themselves, and then they hired a large number of internet trolls to guide public opinion, that should be able to reverse the situation.

Feng Yiyan, calmly said: "How long until the heat dies down?"

Lu Zheyuan awkwardly replied: "Two years... no, one year, of course, longer would be better."

Feng Yiyan let out a low chuckle, his beautiful thin lips slightly curling, seemingly mocking and sarcastic.

His reluctance was evident, and Lu Zheyuan gritted his teeth. "A Yan, how can you stand by and watch her get vilified by thousands because of you? Look at those comments—none of us men could bear them. We can't let Shi Ling endure this, can we?"

He gazed at Feng Yiyan, hope flickering in his eyes.

Feng Yiyan's eyes were dark, his expression unreadable.

The air in the meeting room suddenly grew still, gradually suffocating everyone as if they were trapped in a tightly sealed plastic bag.

After a long pause, Feng Yiyan finally spoke. "Why have you always pushed for me to be with her?"

He continued slowly, "Because of your parents?"

"Are you trying to live out your regrets through me?"

Lu Zheyuan's face twisted in shock, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "What did you say?"

Yang Yuguo and a couple of friends quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. They all knew about the situation in the Lu family. Zheyuan's late mother had always been an unhealed scar in his heart.

Lu Zheyuan's mother was much like Lu Shiling—she had harbored a quiet crush on Lu Zheyuan's father during their school days. His father, like Feng Yiyan, was a notorious playboy who attracted countless women but treated none of them seriously. After three marriages, Lu Zheyuan's mother finally managed to be with him, but her happiness was short-lived. When Lu Zheyuan was ten, she died while saving his father.

At the time, his father, grieving yet hypocritical, vowed never to remarry—but remarried just three years later, this time to a woman twenty years younger than him. They even had another son.

Lu Zheyuan's relationship with his family turned icy. He turned his back on the family business, defying his father's wishes, and instead plunged into the film industry, becoming a director.

After Feng Yiyan's cutting remarks struck a nerve with Lu Zheyuan, he didn't look at him again. Instead, he turned toward the public relations team and said assertively, "There are other ways to handle this."

The head of the public relations team quickly responded, "Please elaborate."

Feng Yiyan removed his legs from the table, placing his hands casually on it. "Lu Shiling and I will simultaneously post on Weibo to clarify our friendship."

The head of the public relations team adjusted his glasses. "Respectfully, your fans might not buy it. They're more likely to think you're secretly dating her—or that she's chasing after you."

He added subtly, "In short, she might still face backlash."

Feng Yiyan's expression remained unchanged. "I'm not done. After that, I will announce a relationship."

The room fell silent for a few seconds.

The head of the public relations team asked, "You mean, not with Ms. Lu Shiling, but with another lady?"

Feng Yiyan replied lightly, "Yes, find a contractual partner, sign a confidentiality agreement, and then announce a peaceful breakup after two years."

The public relations team began to think. After some consideration, they realized... it seemed feasible.

One PR person, quick-thinking, excitedly added, "Mr. Feng, this should indeed work! But this alone isn't enough. It would be ideal if the contractual partner also released a statement, stating that Ms. Lu Shiling is also her friend and that she was present at the scene but wasn't captured in the photo."

Another PR person chimed in, his eyes gleaming. "Yes! To boost credibility, we could reshoot the scene, including your contractual girlfriend."

"At that point, we can deploy online commentators, saying the paparazzi maliciously edited the footage, deliberately excluding your official girlfriend. Then the commentators and marketing accounts can follow up, which should completely eliminate the impact on Ms. Lu Shiling!"

"And the public will apologize to Ms. Lu Shiling, who was unfairly dragged into this."

The atmosphere immediately lightened.

A female PR member laughed and said, "I can already picture the flood of apologies under Ms. Lu Shiling's public account."

"Exactly, and finding the right person to collaborate with isn't hard either."

There are countless unknowns desperate to ride the coattails of fame, and this is like manna from heaven.

Moreover, since Lu Shiling's sudden arrival had already shaken up the fanbase, announcing a girlfriend now would likely cause much less of a stir among the fans.

Lu Zheyuan couldn't take it anymore and shot to his feet.

His expression was downright ugly, and he demanded of Feng Yiyan in disbelief, "So you'd rather find some random girl than be with Shiling?"

The lively chatter among the PR team came to a screeching halt.

Lu Zheyuan's eyes burned with fury: "Feng Yiyan, do you even have a heart in that chest of yours? She's been in love with you for years!"

But Feng Yiyan's eyes showed no trace of that anger. He simply looked at him calmly and said in an even tone, "Zhe Yuan, don't push it. I only see her as a friend, same as the rest of you."

"Fine."

Lu Zheyuan nodded slowly, his face dark, his voice low. "I overstepped my bounds."

With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.

The room was plunged into a heavy silence.

The air turned frosty.

Yang Yuguo and the others exchanged looks and let out quiet sighs.

Though they sympathized with Lu Shiling's unrequited feelings and wished the two could end up together, they weren't as stubborn about it as Lu Zheyuan.

Zhe Yuan really crossed a line this time.

Though they'd been friends since childhood, studying and playing sports side by side, their bond ran deeper than most, their banter seemingly equal and free, but they still subtly deferred to Feng Yiyan.

Unlike Zhe Yuan, who'd walked away from his family business without a second thought, the Feng family had deep roots, with fingers in every pie, and staying on good terms with Feng Yiyan, the Feng family's sole heir, was something their elders had drilled into them time and again.

The weight of Lu Zheyuan and Feng Yiyan was not the same.

Although the Lu family was prominent, it was still a far cry from the Feng family. The Lu family had eleven children in this generation, while the Feng family only had Feng Yiyan as the sole heir, not to mention the Yan family.

Feng Yiyan's mother, Yan Luyan, was the head of the Yan family, controlling the equally colossal Yan family, and she also only had Feng Yiyan as her child.

Feng Yiyan's status in the circle could be said to be the prince among princes, and even if he capriciously decided to pursue music, his position in the circle would remain unshakable.

In short, if Feng Yiyan had a rift with Lu Zheyuan, they might have to distance themselves from Zhe Yuan as well.

They hoped that Zhe Yuan would come to his senses, sober up, and properly apologize to A Yan.

In the midst of the silence, Feng Yiyan lifted his chin and calmly uttered two words to the people in the meeting room: "Continue."

The head of public relations cleared his throat and cautiously inquired, "Do you need us to help you find a contractual girlfriend? There should be many actresses interested."

Feng Yiyan paused for a moment.

"No need, I have someone in mind."

Qiu Jiapo, who was still thinking about Lu Zheyuan's situation, felt a sudden heaviness in his heart. He looked up and asked half-jokingly, as if curious, "Who is it? Don't tell me it's Lu Ke."

Feng Yiyan smiled slightly without answering.

This was the first time since the meeting began that he showed a genuine, playful smile, "She bit me, so let her make up for it, what's the harm?"

"It's her."