“Youyou, listen to me, you must admit to your relationship with Xiao He!”

Cheng Hongwen grabbed Xu Youyou, his tone serious.

Xu Youyou was startled, then quickly shook her head: “How can I? My boyfriend is clearly—”

“Xu Youyou! Do you want to ruin everyone?!”

Cheng Hongwen snapped, his eyes full of coldness, scaring Xu Youyou into shrinking her neck, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Your relationship will not be accepted by the public! You are both in the rising period of your careers!” Cheng Hongwen took a deep breath, “If not for yourself, think about your boyfriend!”

If Xu Youyou were only dating Xiao He, a newcomer, at most, people would scold Xu Youyou for being muddle-headed and Xiao He for being a gigolo!

But if she were dating Su Shengxi... both of them would be doomed!

Just then, Xu Youyou’s phone rang. She saw the number on the screen, her eyes lit up, and she quickly answered: “Axi! I—”

“Youyou, listen to me—”

The young man’s voice on the other end was gentle and clear, carrying a calming power that soothed Xu Youyou’s panicked mind.

The purpose of that call was also for Xu Youyou to admit to her relationship with Xiao He, to shift the public’s attention to Xiao He.

“Youyou, we have no way out. I truly love you, and I don’t want to see your relationship with someone else trending, but Youyou, we have to consider our future...”

Xu Youyou’s eyes were filled with tears, her beautiful yet fragile face full of confusion and helplessness.

“I, I...”

“Youyou...”

Cheng Hongwen directly snatched the phone: “I’ll handle this, you hide yourself first!”

Then he hung up the phone directly, looking coldly at the indecisive girl in front of him: “You don’t need to appear in person for this matter. I will help you handle everything. Just quietly wait for the public opinion to pass.”

“What about Xiao He... He also saved me...” Xu Youyou stammered.

“Nickname, he should thank us for being able to trend this time. If it weren’t for you, would he be this famous?” Cheng Hongwen said matter-of-factly, “This incident is a boon for him. With the identity of Xu Youyou’s ‘boyfriend,’ it will be easier for him to make a name for himself in the industry in the future.”

“Youyou, in a relationship scandal, the male party is the least harmed! As long as it doesn’t cross legal lines, these things are just a romantic affair for male artists, but it’s different for you female artists! After this incident, it will be hundreds of times harder for you to climb up!”

“Your image is originally the innocent type. At that time, you can pretend to be love-struck. Xiao He doesn’t look like a good person, so everyone will definitely think you were deceived by him. You can then pretend to be a victim, and then I’ll help you transition to a strong female lead path. Haven’t they all said that after a heartbreak, female artists grow? At that time, everyone will change their opinion of you—”

“Clap clap clap—”

Behind Cheng Hongwen, the sound of Xiao He clapping came.

Both of them were startled at the same time and turned to look.

Xiao He leaned against the corner, staring at them both expressionlessly, a hint of coldness seeping into his eyes.

“Very good, you’ve already arranged everything clearly for me before I even arrived.”

Cheng Hongwen didn’t expect to be caught red-handed by the other party involved, and he felt a bit awkward. But after the awkwardness, he immediately began to persuade Xiao He: “Xiao He, this is also an opportunity for you to become famous. Think about it, if you just act honestly, how long will it take for you to be seen by the public? With the identity of Xu Youyou’s boyfriend, you will have a basic amount of traffic for whatever you do in the future.”

“Nickname, you say it so grandly, but isn’t it all for your own benefit? You can’t possibly say that small amount of traffic refers to the anti-fans who chase after me and curse me, can you?” Xiao He sneered, exposing Cheng Hongwen’s hypocrisy.

Cheng Hongwen: “...I can sign you to Haohan Entertainment and give you an A-level contract. I also promise you that as long as you can help our Youyou overcome this difficulty, I can give you a lead role in a big IP drama, and even many more—”

“I’ll say it again, I, am, not, willing.”

Xiao He stared at them eerily.

“Excuse me, Miss Xu, do you also think so?”

Xu Youyou looked at the person in front of her, her heart conflicted and complicated.

She didn’t mind being scolded, but what about Axi? He was still transitioning, and he had promised to give her a perfect wedding in the future... But Mr. Xiao was clearly innocent!

Xu Youyou opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Cheng Hongwen had already pressed firmly on her shoulder: “Xu Youyou! Shut up!”

Xu Youyou’s body trembled slightly, as if she had completely lost all her strength.

Xiao He watched coldly, feeling ironic and sad.

Regardless of whether Xu Youyou was truly timid and weak, like people online said, a delicate innocent girl, after wearing some labels for too long, perhaps she had already forgotten her original self.

“If you can’t stand up for yourself, do you still expect your life to get better and better?”

Xiao He said, then turned to leave.

Cheng Hongwen didn’t expect Xiao He’s attitude to be so resolute and threatened coldly: “We are just informing you. As an ordinary person with no company and no background, can you really contend with us?”

Xiao He said nothing, just let out a disdainful chuckle: “You can try.”

Then he left directly, without looking back.

Cheng Hongwen wanted to stop him, but as soon as he took a step, he bit his lip and pulled back, starting to dial a number to hire internet trolls: “That damn stubborn idiot, I’ll let him know how ridiculous he is right now!”

Xu Youyou clenched her fists, finally lowering her eyes.

—

On the other side, Su Shengxi hung up the phone, and his manager walked in from outside.

“How’s the situation online?”

“Basically, everyone has been drawn to that suddenly appearing kid. Currently, no one has guessed it’s you.”

The capable female manager pushed up her glasses, her expression particularly serious: “Didn’t I warn you before, idols cannot be in relationships.”

“Sister Liu, we are also human, we also have desires!” A hint of gloom flashed in Su Shengxi’s eyes, but his handsome face was full of grievance, “Isn’t dating better than being a gigolo?”

When he was in the group, Su Shengxi followed the gentle prince route. Later, the group disbanded, and he came to Jiaxing Entertainment to develop, relying on his handsome face to attract most of the group’s fans. Although he is still an idol, he is already developing in the direction of an actor and singer, and now is a critical period for his transformation.

However, facing this handsome face that fans called a “miracle,” Liu Rulan’s heart was as still as water, without the slightest ripple: “If there’s a next time, I really won’t deal with you anymore.”

“Don’t say that, Sister Liu~ I know you’re the best, you’re my ace manager.”

Su Shengxi said with a smile.

Liu Rulan, however, lowered her eyes, hiding the impatience [N O V E L I G H T] within them.

Before becoming Su Shengxi’s manager, Liu Rulan had already managed several Best Actor and Best Actress award winners. She was one of Jiaxing Entertainment’s most senior and experienced ace managers, a celebrity manager whose name was well-known in the industry.

Originally, she thought managing such a popular idol would be very simple, but after all this trouble, Liu Rulan really wanted to curse.

This Su Shengxi, he’s truly useless at everything!

And even if he’s useless, he has no ambition and can’t control his lower body!

If she could, Liu Rulan truly wanted to directly ignite public opinion, blow up Su Shengxi, and then gracefully resign and leave.

However, the reality was that she had to continue cleaning up this guy’s mess.