"Manman, we will always support you."

A number of Xiao Man’s light sticks were raised at the venue.

"Xiao Man, I saw on Weibo that some netizens asked if you’re just acting, since you’re the Best Actress, and shedding a few tears is easy for you. They say you’re trying to use this to dodge our questions, which goes against the original intent of this press conference."

The pointed question from the media stirred dissatisfaction among many fans at the scene.

"Original intent?" Xiao Man looked in that direction, "What do you think the original intent of the press conference is? Is it for me to analyze something? Or to perform in front of so many media and fans? I attended this press conference to seriously apologize to all those who like me and those who don’t but still follow me; I was wrong, I hurt you, I’m sorry." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"Manman, don’t apologize, we never thought that way."

"We just want you to be okay..."

A few media outlets that greeted her glossed over with a few questions.

"People are not saints; who can be without faults. I’ve always liked you, Manman, and everyone has a past. But I’m curious, what kind of pressure made you choose that way to relax?"

Xiao Man said, "I suddenly found myself in this bright, novel world. I don’t originally belong here. Those halos frightened me, and a force lurking in the darkness kept tugging at me. Do you remember Meng Yao?"

Everyone just thought Xiao Man was using a metaphor to tell her story, not knowing she was talking about a real experience.

"Lin Meng Yao?" Someone suddenly remembered that person.

"Lin Meng Yao... wasn’t it an accident that made her leave the entertainment industry?"

Some media remembered, but most had already forgotten her existence, looking puzzled.

"Meng Yao was a junior of mine, someone I was particularly fond of, and we got along very well. Because of a stage accident, she became a vegetative state."

"There’s unconfirmed news that it was another rising star at the time, Dong Yan..." said a media abruptly.

Xiao Man neither admitted nor denied, "That was a man-made accident, yet there is no evidence to show that someone should be held accountable for that incident. And... that incident wasn’t targeted at Meng Yao, the person who should have been lying in the hospital is me."

The scene erupted into chaos, with everyone asking what exactly happened.

"Every time I look at Meng Yao, the guilt in my heart deepens. The waters are deep in this industry; everyone knows that. Under such pressure... I don’t know what the purpose of my living is; I fear more people will pay the price for me... And yet, I live such a glamorous and seemingly better life than anyone else."

The crowd was half believing, half doubting.

And these things Xiao Man mentioned, even her agent and two assistants had never heard about, and even they couldn’t tell if they were true or false.

However, hearing them was heartbreaking.

"How come I never knew all these things were in Manman’s heart..."

"We didn’t know either..." Fan Fan’s brows furrowed, "I always thought Sister Man seemed so carefree, I even said she was so optimistic. I didn’t realize Sister Man had so many things hidden in her heart..."

Just as everyone was feeling pity for her, the targeted media brought up another issue: "If the drug scandal was due to too much pressure, what about the nude photo scandal? That surely wasn’t, right?"

"Why are they like this..." the fans were discontented, "We already said the people in those photos aren’t our Manman."