Revenge Begins: Reincarnated as a Hated Idol!-Chapter 55: Blooming Backlash

’Aren Frost, Lisa Vern—Together in a Hotel! Lipstick marks on Aren’s shirt and Lisa’s disheveled hair—Is this the sign of a blooming romance? Click to discover more...’

In the article, on top were pictures that Aris had clicked, highlighting the lipstick marks on Aren’s shirt and Lisa’s disheveled hair and makeup for the netizens to see.

Only then did she commence the article, her tone speculative rather than factual.

She only mentioned the facts—Aren and Lisa entering a hotel, booking a single room, and exiting afterward, looking like they did in those pictures.

Other than that, she only asked questions in her article, letting netizens guess for themselves as to what she was hinting at.

Netizens were stunned upon reading this unexpected piece of news, their reactions varying in different proportions:

[Sob Sob... How can he do this? Isn’t an idol supposed to belong to their fans? I supported him all this time, and now he betrays me like this?]

[Nooo! This can’t be happening! Aren is mine... how can he be in a relationship with someone else? I don’t accept this!]

[This is a betrayal! I remained his fan even at his lowest and now he betrays my love for someone else? Please say this is a lie, Aren!]

These reactions were from fans who had supported Aren in his idol days.

Idols were usually marketed as your single, friendly next-door boy/girl, allowing fans to feel a stronger connection with them.

However, dating rumors and news about their idols shattered that image, leaving fans heartbroken.

Idols were supposed to be desirable yet not desiring. They were expected to remain single, being only in a relationship with their fans.

However, Aren was no longer an idol; he was an actor, and actors could date anyone they liked.

Actors never promised to belong solely to their fans like idols did. And drama viewers understood this and thus, were not heartbroken by this news, instead, they were excited.

[Aren is an actor; he can date anyone he wants. We should support him as his fans. After all, fans should be happy in their idol’s happiness, not curse him to remain single.]

[This is such a funny thing. When he was an idol, everyone hated him because of those malicious rumors, but now that he is an actor, his fans claim they supported him and that he should remain single for them. Grow up already.]

Meanwhile, To Your Heart fans were ecstatic at this news.

[Waaah! Shin and Leah in a relationship... this is like the best thing that happened today. I shipped them so hard in To Your Heart.]

[So Lisa, the actress who played Leah, was really in love with Aren? No wonder they had such a wonderful chemistry between them. But what about Gisha? She also seemed to be in love with Aren, or was it just acting?]

[Nooo! I lost my bet! I had bet on Gisha, but it turned out to be Lisa! Curse you, Aren!]

[Bwahaha! I won. I won the bet! I knew Lisa was the one for Aren. Hahaha!]

At the same time, Ventage fans were back to criticizing Aren for anything he did:

[See this horny dog. No shame, no character. How could he have been a part of Ventage? I’m ashamed.]

[Look at Theon. He is three years older than Aren, but had he ever dated anyone? He is loyal to his fans, not like this backstabber bastard!]

[Even if Aren is not an idol anymore, he should still remain loyal to his fans. He is the youngest among Ventage members, yet the first one to get into a dating scandal. He just doesn’t care about his fans.]

[I don’t understand how his fans can still support him. He is a traitor. The least he can do now is take some responsibility for his actions and apologize to his fans.]

As the comments piled up and discussions spread, the topic became hotter and hotter, rising in the ranks of trending topics.

Gradually, fresh hashtags began to trend on PulseX, occupying the ranks one and two:

#ArenLisaDating#

#BackstabberAren#

All the fans who felt betrayed by the news began calling Aren a backstabber; however, among the ones who criticized him, most were either Ventage fans or simply other idol fandoms.

Most of Aren’s current fanbase was comprised of acting and drama enthusiasts who had started following him after To Your Heart.

Ventage Fans still didn’t like him, so fans from his idol days were too few to even consider. And those fans from his idol days still blamed him for Ventage splitting up.

So in reality, Aren’s fans were alright with the news of his dating; however, it was his haters who were calling him a backstabber, an ironic sight indeed.

Gradually, the article turned into sensational news, prompting other media houses and marketing accounts to cover the same story.

Aris received praises and compliments for the article, whereas Aren received a new barrage of messages in his inbox.

His phone kept vibrating in his pocket while he sat in a car parked in the adjacent street to Lucian Valcourt’s house.

It was 8 pm right now, and Lisa had just entered Lucian’s house after undergoing some light checking by Lucian’s bodyguards, even to the extent of confiscating her handbag and mobile phone.

Meanwhile, in the driving seat of the car was sitting a female news reporter—a friend of Livia’s and a prominent anchor of Sun News Television.

Her name was Linda Thorn, and in the backseat sat the cameraman, carrying his camera.

Linda turned to Aren, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car beside her.

She smiled at him and said, "If what you told me turns out to be true, it would be a huge scoop for us, comparable to a nationwide news story."

Aren returned the smile, politely saying, "Don’t worry, it’s true. And if you are lucky, you might even find some shady recordings as proof."

Linda nodded, pausing for a moment before asking with a worried expression, "But are you sure we don’t need to ask the police for help? There are four to five trained bodyguards guarding his house, after all."

Aren shook his head: "No, I cannot trust the police. Titan Crest Entertainment’s chairman has connections with assemblymen, police commissioners, deputy chiefs of police, and other powerful people. Once we share this news with the police, it is imminent for some spies to hear about it, alerting Titan Crest’s chairman and, indirectly, Lucian Valcourt as well. If that happens, we won’t be able to catch Lucian in the act."

"Yeah, good thinking." Linda muttered in realization, her grip tightening on the steering of the parked car.

She agreed with his reasoning, even wondering as to how she had missed such a crucial detail.

For a short while, she remained silent.

Then, remembering about the guards, she turned to Aren with an anxious expression and asked, "But what about the bodyguards? How do you plan to deal with them?"

Aren spared her a glance before a confident smile appeared on his face as he spoke:

"I have some friends helping us. They are in another car behind us."

He was referring to Kendrick and Corbin, the mercenaries who had trained him.

After Aren asked them for help, they were happy to oblige.

He couldn’t waste time fighting all the bodyguards himself since that would alert Lucian.

"Lisa, sweetheart, you are finally here." Lucian’s cheerful voice resounded at this moment, coming from the car speakers, thanks to Aren’s phone being connected to them.

On Aren’s phone was an ongoing call, not from Lisa’s mobile phone but from a tiny call device hidden inside her heels.

Everyone in the car immediately turned silent, listening intently to the incoming audio as the camera man began recording everything.

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(A/N - Thanks for reading. ^..^)