CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 376 - 368: Stepping Out to Dispel Rumors

The next day, at Yuehua

Pan Ting’s face was as dark as water; she hadn’t expected Penguin to be so resolute.

In her view, Meng and Wu had secured the top two spots in the girl group ranking, and with the temporary agreement she had with Penguin, she figured the parallel operation of two groups would be something Penguin would agree to.

Her real aim was to bring the two of them back and create a girl group exclusively for the company’s profit.

Afterward, she would use Penguin’s platform to launch them into the public eye.

But Penguin’s strength was evident—Meng and Wu were directly excluded by them.

This wasn’t even the deadliest blow; the core value of a girl group lies in someone who can carry the heat, and Pan Ting had been certain Meng and Wu were the ones capable of doing so.

Unexpectedly, Lv Fangxin rose to prominence again. This time, the boost not only reinforced her own status but also became the key to solidifying the group’s position.

In other words, the group could lose anybody as long as Lv Fangxin remained; Penguin could form any girl group with her.

Even if the group eventually crumbled, as long as they had her, Penguin would still succeed.

As her thoughts spiraled in confusion, her secretary knocked on the door and walked in.

"President Pan, there are people causing trouble in front of the company."

"Trouble?"

"Yes, they’re saying you kidnapped Meng and Wu and are demanding you release them immediately."

"Nonsense." Pan Ting sprang to her feet, her face flushed red, obviously angered.

She walked to the window and looked outside; sure enough, a few fans were sitting in protest at the door.

The company’s security guards were blocking them, but since the other side hadn’t done anything extreme, they couldn’t act rashly either.

"Have someone from the affairs department go out and reassure these fans. Tell them Meng and Wu are doing well, but they’re resting now because they’ve been exhausted recently."

Pan Ting calmed herself down, realizing she couldn’t escalate the situation.

Downstairs, Qiu Fan stood off to the side, observing the situation over here.

The aggressive fans had all been brought in under her planning.

Worried about the real possibility of Meng Meixuan withdrawing from the group, she was beside herself with anxiety.

After consulting with some major fans, she mobilized these "cult fans" to protest.

Of course, they knew Yuehua couldn’t possibly have kidnapped Meng and Wu, but keeping them out of public view was a whole other matter.

She saw Yuehua’s staff come out to placate the protesters and promptly began taking photos.

She planned to use this method to pressure Yuehua into bringing Meng and Wu back to the team.

The cult fans were suitably restrained, pulling out prepared statements and reading them aloud.

Their main demand was for Yuehua to release Meng and Wu to return to Penguin; if they didn’t return, their fans would stop buying any of Meng and Wu’s merchandise.

After the fans had left, Meng and Wu’s individual fan clubs each issued statements strongly condemning Yuehua for completely disregarding the artists’ career development.

At this moment, Pan Ting felt unspeakably bitter. These fans didn’t consider things from her perspective at all; they only cared about their "biases."

The phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID; it was the CEO of Dunjiao Entertainment.

After answering the call and listening to what the other party had to say, she exhaled a long sigh and slumped weakly into her chair.

On the street

Wu Zixuan was out eating hotpot with her assistant, her cheerful facade as radiant as springtime.

But inside, she was feeling uneasy, as Yuehua had asked her and Meng Meixuan to go out for hotpot to demonstrate that they were in good condition.

However, Meng Meixuan flatly refused without even making an excuse, clearly engaging in soft rebellion against the company. Wu Zixuan, being soft-hearted and obedient, went anyway.

Just as she had anticipated, someone was photographing her for materials.

"Zixuan, why are you outside? Did Yuehua release you?" someone suddenly approached, speaking loudly.

Wu Zixuan looked up and saw it was one of her major fans. Before she could speak, her assistant stepped forward, trying to distance the person from her.

"Zixuan, the fan club has already issued a statement demanding Yuehua let you return. You need to hold your ground!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Zixuan’s smile froze. She felt that she had been played by the company.

Was this supposed to show her fans that she was in a good state? No, it was clearly meant to tell everyone that she was very free, and the company wasn’t interfering with her at all.

If that were the case, her actions would essentially amount to betraying the group. People might sympathize with her for being controlled by the boss and unable to act on her own will, but they would never forgive her for colluding with the boss openly.

She turned abruptly and glared at her assistant: "Let’s go back!"

"Zixuan, aren’t we eating?"

Wu Zixuan completely ignored the assistant’s words, quickly heading toward her nanny van.

At the villa

A group of people returned after completing the recording of a variety show, their bodies heavy with exhaustion.

"Ah! Zixuan came out." Duan Yuxin suddenly said.

Everyone froze and quickly picked up their phones to scroll for updates and see what happened.

"Hmph! Zixuan’s living the life! Eating hotpot and playing girl group." Lai Ruoxuan couldn’t hold back the anger in her heart anymore and spoke sarcastically.

"Zixuan’s life is definitely better than ours. Just look at us, running ragged." Jiang Mengqi’s cold smile surfaced as well.

For a moment, Duan Yuxin couldn’t understand the situation and looked toward Ye Yuwei.

"Everybody, calm down. It’s not necessarily Zixuan’s own choice to go."

"If it’s not her choice, then whose? Why didn’t Meixuan go with her to clear Yuehua’s name?" Yang Ni’s bloodshot eyes spoke of her inability to tolerate betrayal.

Ye Yuwei found herself at a loss for words. If this was orchestrated, then as Fu Xiaoyu said, why didn’t Meng Meixuan go?

"Alright! Let’s not talk about her anymore; from now on, we don’t have a sister named Wu Zixuan." Yang Ni shouted, and everyone fell silent.

"Get some rest! Tomorrow is the release day for our new song." Ye Yuwei uttered softly before getting up and heading upstairs.

Lv Fangxin watched her figure retreat, wanting to say something but biting her lip and remaining silent. Back in her room, she sent a message to Chen Yinghan.

She had been calling her best friend every day during this period.

She felt like if she didn’t talk about certain things, they would suffocate her.

"Yinghan, have you seen Zixuan trending?"

"Yes."

"Has Zixuan really betrayed us?"

"I don’t know, but Meixuan didn’t go with her."

Reading Chen Yinghan’s reply, Lv Fangxin felt a pang of bitterness in her heart and suddenly wanted to cry.

In her heart, Wu Zixuan was an irreplaceable teammate as well.

"Fangxin, we’re no longer at the base. Our agendas are driven by different interests now."

"Yinghan, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could stay there forever, only singing and dancing for the people who truly love us?"

"Haha! You’ve still got some growing up to do."

Lv Fangxin rolled onto her side, her silhouette graceful under the soft light.

"I don’t want to grow up. I just want to live in a castle as a little princess. Yinghan, why don’t you take care of me? Let’s travel the world together."

"What nonsense are you saying now? Do you think you could escape Penguin’s reach? Also, after so much time apart, haven’t you grown closer to others in the group?"

"Not at all! Every time I get back, I send you videos immediately."

The two of them began looping into endless bouts of lighthearted banter and mock arguments.

In another dorm, Lai Ruoxuan sat in the bathtub, covering her face and quietly weeping.

On the floor, Jiang Mengqi also had tear-streaked cheeks.

She held her phone, watching a video from the day they officially became a group.

Eleven girls, full of youthful spirit, as if no obstacle ahead of them could possibly stand in their way.

Li Zimeng sat in a daze, equally overwhelmed by a sense of melancholy and suffocation.

Yang Ni, pale and visibly drained, staggered in her room, pressing tissues against her nose and mouth.

Her unfocused eyes reflected the toll of physical and emotional exhaustion.

She tottered toward her desk, took out a bottle of pills from the drawer, and poured a few into her palm, swallowing them down: "Yang Ni, you absolutely cannot fall. You must not collapse or let them see defeat. We Tian Ou girls will never lose, never lose."