Chapter 8

The figure of twenty-five thousand plunged the spacious penthouse into an awkward silence.

Lu Yan could easily read the humiliation plastered across his younger brother’s face.

He tried to console him in a restrained tone, “It’s fine. At least you have some savings, unlike me, who’s drowning in millions of debt.”A Jiu, standing nearby, was barely suppressing his laughter (≧▽≦)ツ

Yeah, some savings—but not much.”

Lu Fei couldn’t muster a single word for the longest time.

That twenty-five thousand sounded even more insulting than calling someone an idiot.

After nearly ten minutes, he finally slumped back into his lazy sprawl, resigning himself. “Whatever. I’m probably done with this industry anyway. Just means I can’t help you out for now, big bro. Guess you’ll have to figure things out on your own.”

Lu Yan had only intended to leave You You here temporarily. He never expected his brother’s help in the first place.

He remained unruffled. “Don’t worry about me. My debts aren’t urgent—I can handle the bank loans month by month. But you… are you really thinking of quitting? I remember what you said before you left for Korea—that you’d make it big in this industry no matter what.”

He still remembered the 15-year-old Lu Fei under the sweltering summer moonlight, his eyes clear and voice resolute as he declared that singing was his dream, that writing and performing music were the only times he truly felt happy.

“Even if you don’t like acting anymore, you could still keep singing,” Lu Yan ventured.

Lu Fei’s expression remained blank, giving no hint of the storm raging inside him.

Was he willing to give up? Of course not.

But what could he do?

Lu Yan didn’t press further. His brother was still young. Even if he was fed up now, he could always go back to school. Maybe with time and maturity, he’d be better suited for this cutthroat industry.

……

Lu Yan and A Jiu worked together to set up You You’s temporary little room.

They laid out a soft toddler mattress and dressed it in a full set of light-purple StellaLou bedding.

The tiny bundle that was You You soon drifted off to sleep.

While she napped, Lu Yan headed out to the factory.

With their funding cut off, he and his partners had agreed to temporarily halt production to minimize losses. He needed to explain things to the workers in person and distribute severance pay.

You You slept soundly at first, but soon, dreams took over.

In them was a woman with immaculate makeup—someone You You had never seen before.

From their conversation, You You gradually pieced together that this was some kind of celebrity, currently berating her manager in a backstage dressing room.

“Netizens these days talk too much nonsense. Hurry up and get some reliable influencers to steer the narrative.”

The manager, a middle-aged man, hesitated. “Zu’er, maybe we should wait a couple more days—”

“Wait for what? Dig up more dirt on Lu Fei. There’s no way a barely-adult kid like him gets this much resources without some shady dealings behind the scenes.”

The manager relented. “Fine, but we have to be careful. Netizens are sharp these days—we don’t want them connecting this back to us.”

“What’s there to be scared of? You think my millions of fans are just for show?”

“True. Your fans are more dedicated than hired trolls.”

When You You woke up, she was still groggy. Since she didn’t recognize the woman in her dream and Lu Fei’s name had only been mentioned once, she quickly forgot about it.

Lu Fei, still on his break, remained holed up in his bedroom.

A Jiu prepared some afternoon snacks for You You and settled in to watch TV with her.

He was growing fonder of the little girl by the minute. Smiling, he asked, “The typhoon’s passed, and it’s not too hot out. Want to go play downstairs later?”

With Lu Fei on leave, A Jiu, as his personal assistant, was also enjoying a paid vacation.

You You nodded eagerly. “Okay! Let’s watch a little more TV first.”

She had intended to continue watching *Peppa Pig*, but couldn’t find it. Instead, her eyes landed on the trending banner for *Fallen Immortal* on the homepage.

“Hey, isn’t that Second Brother?”

Curious, she clicked on it. A Jiu jolted in alarm. “Uh… You You, are you sure you want to watch this? Fei Ge might not like it…”

Unaware of the backlash Lu Fei had faced for this drama, You You only grew more intrigued.

They ended up watching for over an hour, completely absorbed in the story. Thankfully, Lu Fei never stepped into the living room.

Finally, A Jiu said, “Alright, that’s enough for now. Kids shouldn’t watch too much TV—it’s bad for your eyes.”

You You was utterly captivated by Lu Fei’s performance as the male lead, stunned by the cinematic visuals.

Dressed in black with long hair, his character exuded an ethereal grace. In the most breathtaking scene, he drew his sword across his throat, only to be reborn from the ashes—a stunning tableau of black and red.

It wasn’t until the scene shifted to the white-clad female lead that You You blinked, snapping out of her daze.

“This auntie…”

She suddenly remembered the brief dream she’d had during her nap.

The woman in white was the same one who’d been yelling in the dressing room.

“A Jiu Gege, who is this auntie?”

A Jiu glanced at the screen. “That’s Wan Zuer. She’s a really popular actress these days—the female lead in this drama. She only shows up in the second episode, though. The first episode is set before her character grows up.”

“Oh…” You You stared at the screen, lost in thought.

So, the auntie from her dream really didn’t like Lu Fei Gege. The venom in her voice—had it all been directed at him?

But he acted so well! Why would she dislike him? Was it because he was a newcomer dragging her down?

At three years old, You You had no grasp of the entertainment industry’s complexities. No matter how hard she thought, she couldn’t make sense of it.

As the show played on, A Jiu absentmindedly scrolled through Weibo.

Then, a barrage of shocking headlines made his hand jerk, sending his phone clattering to the floor—

#BREAKING! Lu Fei’s School Bullying Scandal#

#BREAKING! Lu Fei Accused of Assaulting 15-Year-Old Girl#

#TRENDING! Lu Fei Must Leave the Entertainment Industry#

#NEW! Brother of Bullying Victim Speaks Out#

Though Lu Fei had been trending for all the wrong reasons lately, these topics were new even to A Jiu.

He quickly picked up his phone, fingers flying across the screen as he tried to understand what was happening.

You You called his name several times, but he didn’t respond. Curious, she climbed onto the couch behind him, peering over his shoulder at the screen.

It took A Jiu nearly ten minutes to piece things together.

Half an hour ago, an “insider” had alleged that during high school, Lu Fei had been a notorious bully at Yanjing No. 6 High School, frequently involved in harassing other students—including a freshman girl who later dropped out due to depression.

Shortly after, the girl’s brother posted a lengthy account detailing how his sister had been tormented by Lu Fei.

Every word dripped with anguish, striking a chord with the public.

Instantly, the internet erupted. Countless netizens joined the chorus of condemnation—

[Disgusting. What kind of connections does this Lu Fei have?]

[What kind of Top Tier Star is this? The bar for fame is so low these days.]

[Why hasn’t Lu Fei been blacklisted yet?!]

[Say no to school bullying—it leaves lifelong scars.]

[Props to the whistleblower. This kind of dirt needs to be exposed.]

[Just seeing Lu Fei’s name makes me sick. *Fallen Immortal* should be taken down.]

[Don’t drag Zu’er’s work into this! It’s not just Lu Fei’s project!]

A Jiu’s frown deepened, his heart twisting in his chest.

“What kind of nonsense is this? Spreading rumors without proof? Since when did writing fanfiction make you a journalist?”

Only after venting did he notice the little head behind him. He hurriedly pulled You You down. “Don’t believe any of this, You You. Fei Ge isn’t that kind of person.”

You You nodded blankly, then clenched her tiny fists, mirroring his outrage. “Yeah! Lu Fei Gege would never do that!”

A Jiu nodded fiercely, his anger boiling over.

He’d been by Lu Fei’s side for a year now. While that wasn’t long, he believed a person’s true nature couldn’t be faked. He could maybe buy that Lu Fei had been reckless in his youth—boys got into fights—but he refused to believe Lu Fei would ever bully a girl.

“So…” You You tilted her head, confused. “What happened to my brother?”

A Jiu: “??? Didn’t you just see?”

The little girl scratched her head innocently. “Too many words… You You only knows a little.”

“…” Well, the kid was literate—but just barely.

A Jiu gave her a simplified explanation.

Before he could finish, You You scrambled off the couch and dashed to the master bedroom on her short little legs.

The door was locked. She pounded on it with her tiny fists—

Her mind flooded with the image from her dream: her brother, abandoned by everyone, leaving a suicide note.

“Second Brother, can You You come in?”

“Gege!!”

“Lu Fei Gege!”

Terrified, she remembered her brother had something called “bipolar disorder.”

A Jiu figured Lu Fei was in no state to be disturbed.

“You You, Fei Ge probably needs some time alone—”

But she was adamant about seeing him immediately.

The knocking grew more frantic—

Finally, Lu Fei, who’d been sitting on the floor lost in thought, stirred.

Moving sluggishly, he stood up, tucking an empty pill bottle under the blankets before padding barefoot to the door.

“What’s all the yelling for? My head’s killing me.”

You You threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his leg, fighting back tears.

“Gege isn’t a bad person who hurts girls! Gege can’t die! Gege isn’t unloved—You You will always love you, wuwuwu…”