CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol-Chapter 436 - 428: A Strange Old Friend

Restaurant

Li Jiaqi steadied herself and sipped her red wine. It was already nine o’clock.

Lan Yening was called away by his boss as soon as he got out of the car.

Zhang Yuze, meanwhile, was sipping his wine while idly stroking the jade bracelet on his hand.

"Hah!"

Zhang Yuze lit a cigarette.

The scent triggered Li Jiaqi’s urge to reach for the cigarettes in her bag.

"Don’t worry. It’s just the two of us here." Zhang Yuze seemed to read her thoughts.

Li Jiaqi hesitated for a moment, but eventually couldn’t resist and lit a cigarette.

"Jiaqi, what’s Galaxy planning for you?"

"They said they’d give me a few self-funded web dramas."

"Are you planning to take them?"

"... I don’t have other opportunities right now."

Li Jiaqi laughed bitterly. She understood Galaxy wasn’t unwilling to promote her; it was just that the company’s resources were too scarce.

Moreover, with the meteoric rise of "Natural Girl," major platforms had stopped inviting them altogether.

"Jiaqi, consider this drama a gift from me, but my investment must yield returns."

Zhang Yuze ground out his cigarette on an expensive porcelain plate.

Li Jiaqi’s heart pounded wildly—what was meant to come had finally arrived.

"Yuze, are we still the way we were before? Watching me grow step by step?" Li Jiaqi’s eyes brimmed with tears, her face full of vulnerable sadness.

"Jiaqi, that dream vanished long ago. I’m not who I was, and you are still the same after leaving me."

Zhang Yuze smirked cruelly, the corners of his mouth curling in disdain.

"Yuze, you know my company doesn’t allow such things."

"Doesn’t allow? Then why is no one from your company here with you?"

Zhang Yuze’s words hit her like a thunderclap. Li Jiaqi froze, her heart feeling as if it had been pierced by a blade.

Galaxy, in the end, was a company that cared only for profit!

The supposed "clean slate" of little dramas was just a façade for making money.

But were these little dramas genuinely clean? Wasn’t she engaging in private relationships herself?

"Jiaqi, I won’t force you into anything. I’m just fulfilling a dream of mine."

"Your dream? Toying with a woman you once had to look up to?"

"I don’t want you to see it that way. If you can think of it as lovers finding their way back together, I’d be glad."

Li Jiaqi stared at him, his seemingly sincere but actually mocking gaze making her want to smash a plate at him.

"Jiaqi, for the next drama, I plan to invite Director Lu Hai. You can play the second female lead."

...

"I won’t keep pestering you. Once this drama is completed, your repayment to me is done."

Zhang Yuze tossed out the "candy" and poured himself another drink, patiently waiting for her decision.

Li Jiaqi was torn. She knew the value of Director Lu Hai.

While not a traditional A-list director in the country, his films often won awards internationally.

Countless actresses dreamed of collaborating with someone like him.

"I... I need to think about it!"

"Alright, but time is short. You have to give me an answer within this week."

With that, Zhang Yuze stood up to leave, his eyes—like a wolf in hiding—lingering on her deeply.

Li Jiaqi walked out of the restaurant in a daze.

Drizzling rain was already falling from the sky.

She didn’t call for a car, choosing instead to clear her head in the wind and rain.

Ring, ring!

"... Yezi!"

"Jiaqi, congrats on wrapping up your new drama."

"How did you know?"

"I saw it on Weibo while scrolling."

Upon hearing her friend’s voice and her concern, Li Jiaqi’s spirits lifted slightly.

"Yezi, are you free? Can you come keep me company?"

"... Sure, we haven’t met up in ages. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not yet. I’m at... Southern Country Restaurant waiting for you."

On the other end, still wearing makeup, Ye Yuwei placed her phone down on the dressing table.

Today was her meetup with Duan Yuxin and Fu Xiaoyu.

The reason Penguin arranged this was to gauge their individual appeal to fans.

The venue, with 1,500 seats, had sold out, and Ye Yuwei’s fans accounted for three-fifths of the attendees.

Duan Yuxin, quietly sipping milk tea, felt disheartened.

She hadn’t expected that, as the fourth debut, her fan count would be so few.

Fu Xiaoyu felt likewise, grappling with an even greater psychological burden.

Often mocked as a budget version of Meng Meixuan due to their similar looks, she had always wanted to prove herself.

Today’s results left her both clear-eyed and sorrowful.

"So tiring. I just want to go home and have a proper meal." Ye Yuwei broke the heavy silence.

"Yes! Let’s buy some groceries and cook at home!" Duan Yuxin forced a smile.

She didn’t want her older sisters to notice her disappointment.

"I want a steaming hot pot. Stir-fry doesn’t taste the same when reheated in the microwave." Fu Xiaoyu chimed in.

Compared to Duan Yuxin, Fu Xiaoyu thought even further—she didn’t want Ye Yuwei to see her sadness, fearing it might upset her.

In truth, Ye Yuwei also didn’t want them to worry.

"I have an old friend who wants to meet for dinner. Do you want to come along?"

"A friend from Galaxy?" Fu Xiaoyu asked immediately.

"Yes!"

"Then we won’t join. You catch up with your old friend!" Fu Xiaoyu politely declined with a smile.

She could tell the invitation wasn’t sincere; Ye Yuwei clearly didn’t want them to go.

If she had, she wouldn’t have mentioned wanting to eat at home and rest earlier—it was obvious she didn’t feel like going out.

Duan Yuxin didn’t quite understand why Fu Xiaoyu declined.

She thought meeting friends with her sisters sounded nice.

But her emotional intelligence wasn’t lacking; since Fu Xiaoyu said not to go, she agreed.

Ye Yuwei felt relieved upon hearing their decision.

She knew Li Jiaqi must have something on her mind, but couldn’t sneak away without possibly making Zhang Zijing jealous.

The taxi sped through the neon-lit night.

By the time she reached the restaurant, it was already ten-thirty. The venue typically operated until 1 a.m., opening again at 10 a.m. the following day.

"... Yezi!" Sitting in the private room, Li Jiaqi started crying uncontrollably at the sight of her friend.

"Jiaqi!" Ye Yuwei, equally emotional, rushed forward to hug her tightly.

The scent and voice were still so familiar.

"Yezi, I’ve missed you so much, missed you so much. But I was afraid you’d find me annoying, so I didn’t dare to reach out." Li Jiaqi clung to Ye Yuwei, feeling like a little cat full of grievances.

Ye Yuwei gently stroked Jiaqi’s hair, the silky strands stirring a warm wave of nostalgia: "Jiaqi, I’ve missed you too. Missed you so much."

"Then why didn’t you come find me?"

"... Jiaqi, let’s talk while we eat."

After the initial rush of emotion, Ye Yuwei’s rationality slowly returned.

The two sat holding hands, Li Jiaqi pouting as she placed a piece of steamed fish on Yezi’s plate.

"Yezi, we’ve finally achieved meat freedom."

"Haha! But I still cherish those days when we ate instant noodles together."

"Me too. Those were such good times!"

Ye Yuwei lifted her wine glass, the fragrant aroma of the white wine wafting upward: "Jiaqi, cheers."

As the slightly spicy alcohol slid down their throats, warmth spread through their bodies.

"Yezi, if only we could always be like this."

"Yes! But life rarely goes the way we wish."

"... Yezi, are you doing okay over there? Have you made new friends?"

"... I’m alright. Our group is similar to Galaxy’s."

Li Jiaqi winced at Ye Yuwei’s detached tone about Galaxy—it stung her heart. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Though she didn’t like Galaxy, the group would always be her "white moonlight."

And now, Ye Yuwei seemed to relegate it to the position of a stranger.