CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 377 - 369: Collapsing on the Scene

Second day

Backstage of the new song release event

Yuwei looked at Yang Ni, her eyes full of encouragement and expectation.

She knew the latter’s condition was really bad, but she also knew there was no way to persuade Yang Ni not to go on stage. This was the very soul of the group.

"Don’t worry, I’ll hold on." Yang Ni understood what the other meant.

She was deeply grateful to Yuwei, because the latter truly understood her and cared about her.

Before coming here, Yuwei had repeatedly tried to persuade her not to go, but Yang Ni understood how important this release event was.

Not only were some fans watching, even competitors of Penguin Entertainment were waiting to see them fail. The downfall of this group would make many people happy.

"Hello, everyone!"

"Hello, Mr. Zhou!"

Seeing Mr. Zhou’s beaming smile, everyone instantly knew something good must have happened.

"Let me share good news with you all—our album, from its launch at midnight yesterday until now, has sold 1.7 million copies."

"Wow! 1.7 million copies—oh my god!"

Everyone was astonished by the number, their excitement showing clearly.

This confirmed their commercial value was finally being recognized.

Actually, the initial 11-member version of this EP album was highly polished.

But after the incident, they had no choice but to rush and shoot a new 8-member version instead.

For such an imperfect album to achieve this kind of sales figure—how could these girls not be thrilled? Even if the statistic was likely exaggerated, even deducting tenfold would still make it astonishing.

At this moment, Long Zitao entered wearing a black suit.

"Hello, congratulations!"

"Hello, Founder Long!"

The girls, who hadn’t seen Long Zitao for nearly half a month, were delighted to see him.

In this cold, dirty world of the entertainment industry, if there was still a man they could trust, Long Zitao was certainly one of them.

His eyes landed on Yuwei and observed how she seemed increasingly radiant—her entire aura had transformed, adding a touch of maturity and steadiness.

"You’re famous now, your EP is a hit... shouldn’t you thank me properly?"

"Haha! Let’s treat you to dinner then—with the finest wine!"

"No need, I’ll treat you instead! Your wages haven’t been paid yet, right?"

Talking about wages, everyone froze for a moment, suddenly reminded they hadn’t received any income in almost six months. The talent show at the base didn’t provide earnings,

and after debut, the company hadn’t given them a cent either.

Zhou Dan felt a bit awkward hearing this from Long Zitao and smiled: "Everyone still has a base salary—we can pay it earlier."

"Thank you, Mr. Zhou."

Yuwei felt the morale of the group seemed to have improved quite a bit.

"I see you’re all quite tired; when I debuted, I was just like you. If you want fame, you’ve gotta fight for it. But remember to take good care of yourselves too."

"Founder Long, what are you doing nowadays?" Fu Xiaoyu asked with sparkling eyes.

"You don’t even know what I’m up to—you never care about me!"

"That’s not true, we see updates about you every day!"

"Doesn’t matter, I’ll go home and cry alone for a bit then."

Long Zitao teased, holding his forehead as if pretending to faint.

"I’m still doing variety shows. If you have time, you can check them out." Long Zitao finally revealed a bit, though his career had been quite tough lately. He was no longer as popular as when he first returned to the country.

This time, the "Star Idol" program saved him, allowing him to re-enter public view.

Long Zitao actually wanted to have a private conversation with Yuwei, but with so many people around, he felt it’d seem too deliberate.

At this time, Yang Xiaoyue and Sun Miao arrived as well.

Although they had been removed from the next season’s production, Penguin Entertainment still showed a bit of compassion by inviting them to witness the birth of "Star Idol’s" first EP album.

Seeing Yang Xiaoyue and Sun Miao stirred mixed emotions in everyone.

It felt as though time itself had shifted, like a surreal moment suspended between worlds.

Sun Miao gazed at these girls with nostalgia, recalling the scenes from when it all began—it felt like a lifetime had passed.

She looked at Yuwei: "Yuwei, you’ve become even more beautiful."

"Sun, you’ve grown younger too."

"I’m already old, but I’m glad you’ve finally grown up."

Hearing Sun Miao’s motherly love in her words, Yuwei’s nose stung with emotion.

No matter what, she remained grateful to these people. Without them, she wouldn’t have gotten from being unknown and near society’s margins to standing on such a dazzling stage now.

"Fangxin, your dancing has improved too—you don’t cry anymore, right?" Sun Miao smiled warmly.

"Ah! Has my dancing really improved?"

"It truly has!"

"Haha! Sun, thank you—you’re the first person to compliment me."

"They don’t praise you?" Sun Miao glanced curiously at the others.

"They only critique me—or drag me out of bed every morning, saying, ’Lv Fangxin, you have to dance now.’"

Everyone laughed at Fangxin’s humor.

"Fangxin learns dance really fast now; she remembers moves incredibly well," Lai Ruoxuan hugged her.

"Yes, her memory is exceptional—better than us professionals," Jiang Mengqi added in her soft, sweet voice.

The compliments made Fangxin immediately beam with pride.

However, Yang Xiaoyue noticed something was off about Yang Ni.

"Yang Ni, are you okay? Your eyes seem faint."

"Director Yang, I’m fine—just a bit tired."

"If you’re too tired, take a break; your health matters most."

Yang Xiaoyue ignored Zhou Dan and spoke seriously to Yang Ni.

"Thank you, Director Yang. Once this event is over, I plan to rest for a while." Yang Ni felt like she couldn’t hold on much longer.

The others’ hearts sank upon hearing this. They all knew Yang Ni’s physical condition—it had to be dire if she mentioned resting.

Soon, it was time for the event.

As the host’s enthusiastic voice rang out, the eight members stepped onto the stage.

Fans of all 11 members had shown up today—even those of Meng, Wu, and Zhang.

These fans felt unsatisfied that their idols weren’t present, but came out of curiosity to see how the group would perform without their idols.

Li Ke was also here, but Xiao Du and Mu Yunchu weren’t.

Xiao Du’s health was worsening, and she was now receiving treatment overseas, with Mu Yunchu accompanying her.

Li Ke noticed how the girls’ physical state was far from ideal. Their dark circles and under-eye bags stood out clearly.

Seeing them like this, fans in the audience felt both heartache and anger.

If it weren’t for those three "rebels," these girls wouldn’t have to re-choreograph, record the album, or handle all those media commitments.

After brief introductions, the girls began their song-and-dance routine.

The song maintained the vibrant style of their two designated tracks from the final competition.

Its rhythm was brisk, with plenty of intricate choreography, and the positions rotated to feature members at the center.

While dancing and singing, Yang Ni suddenly felt her vision blur; her footing seemed as though she was standing on soft cotton.

She knew trouble was brewing: "Hold on, hold on—the music is still playing; I can’t collapse now."

Yuwei, who had been keeping a close eye on Yang Ni, noticed her unusual behavior.

But at this moment, there was no way to stop performing.

When the final note hit and they struck their ending pose, Yang Ni’s body swayed and collapsed toward the stage.

Yuwei quickly reached out to support her, and Jiang Mengqi—standing beside—was startled, though her face maintained a professional smile. Her hands instinctively supported Yang Ni.

"I’m fine, I’m fine—I can stand," Yang Ni insisted, still wanting to complete the event.

"I know you’re strong—but right now, you *have* to go to the hospital." Yuwei’s tone was firm, leaving no room for compromise. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

As soon as the incident occurred, the director’s team muted the microphones, ensuring the audience couldn’t overhear their conversation.

"Yang Ni, let me help you down," Fu Xiaoyu attempted to assist her, but couldn’t lift her.

Duan Yuxin began to cry: "Yang Ni, you’ll be okay—you’ll get better after going to the hospital."

At that moment, security staff rushed onto the stage. One of them picked Yang Ni up in his arms, and the other members instinctively followed him offstage.

All of the fans crowded toward that direction, with Yang Ni’s fans crying and repeatedly shouting her name.