Chapter 19: Rotten and Stinking! (Second Update)…

When Lu Hui saw thousands of mentions, her expression was one of pure confusion.

How could those dogs think they were worthy of being good older brothers? There was no need to defame her like this.

Rumors like this—believe it if you want, or not if you don’t. Obviously, the majority of the CP fans, shouting that they were “shipping hard,” believed it.

A devoted man is hard to find. He stands at the door waiting for his fiancée every day in rain and wind. He’s cold to all other women, but a complete devoted fan to his fiancée.

This double standard was just too sweet.

“The fiancée couple is really, really good.”

“Don’t ship, you’re not human.”

“Boys, let’s all @ them and ask them to appear on your show next year!”

Lu Hui frowned as she read these comments, thinking, “What? They can really ‘ship’ this? Aren’t they worried about chipping their teeth?”

Fans who were obsessed with shipping were actually in the minority, and they weren’t particularly invested—they shipped this pair now, but would move on to the next when it was over. Since they didn’t care, they wouldn’t get hurt.

Dating was a deadly blow to idols. If a male idol’s relationship news came out when he first debuted, he could forget about his idol career.

The same went for female idols.

Though Lu Hui wasn’t an idol, her current public persona was more aligned with that of one. Once the news of her being in a relationship broke, it would still have an impact.

However, Lu Hui only had one good older brother, and that was Lin Tong.

Her company didn’t oppose dating, but for a half-popular actress, they didn’t really care.

Lin Tong, however, couldn’t sit still and urgently asked her, “Is this handsome guy really your good older brother?”

Lu Hui immediately denied it, “I don’t have one, I’m not—don’t say that, don’t ruin me.”

She had lost all credibility with Lin Tong, who spat out, “You do have him, I’m not listening to any more explanations.”

Who would stand out in all kinds of weather for two weeks straight, punch in on time every day, and never bail out? There must be some hidden story.

Lu Hui, irritated, asked, “So he can’t just be my male fan, the kind who’s crazy about me?”

Lin Tong snorted, “A male fan? Have you ever had one?”

“…” Lu Hui felt weak and said, “Okay, fine, I do know him.”

She pointed to her head, “But there’s something off about him.”

Lin Tong half-believed, half-doubted, “Really?”

Lu Hui thought about Yan Zhao’s methods and shivered, then raised her hand, “I swear it’s true. You think only a crazy obsessed guy would do that? His brain’s a little off.”

Lu Hui was the master of bluffing, and Lin Tong, a fool, believed it as long as there was some evidence.

“Then what about his family?”

“He was probably kept in the hospital before, who knows how he got out now.”

“So what now?”

“What now? Just ignore him, that’s all.”

Treat Yan Zhao like air, ignore him, and it’s fine.

“I feel like you’re messing with me.”

“Really? I’m not.”

“I’ll believe you for now.” Lin Tong pointed her finger at her, speaking with confidence, “But now that you’re gaining some popularity from the first episode, beauty brands are already reaching out to you for promotions, offering a good price. I’ve arranged it for you.”

When Lu Hui heard there was money to be made, her eyes immediately lit up. She asked, “But will that beauty brand ruin my skin?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve tried it, and my skin’s still fine.”

“That’s good.”

“But now, your image as someone in a relationship is problematic.” The image of an independent single woman is more appealing than anything else.

Lu Hui said, “No, you need to explain for me, I can’t let the sponsor misunderstand me.”

She didn’t want to work.

She just wanted to lie back and do nothing.

But even lazy people love money.

Materialism is not a crime, long live money.

“I’ll handle the brand stuff, but sis, when it comes to your personal life, that’s on you. We really can’t keep going through man after man.”

She had so many men; she could open a duck restaurant.

Lu Hui herself was quite helpless, “Sigh, maybe I really have the kind of constitution that attracts trouble.”

Lin Tong rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Lu Hui thought for a moment, “I’ll just post on Weibo and say I’m currently single.”

Lin Tong felt it was fine, “Go ahead.”

Although Lu Hui wasn’t afraid of being scolded, she didn’t want to see the hateful comments online. So every time she logged into Weibo, it felt like a thief sneaking around—she’d quickly log in and log off. Looking at the trending topics would count as a loss.

Lu Hui opened Weibo, and a notification popped up in the top right corner—【Sheng Zhaoming followed you.】

Wow, let the performance begin.

She opened Sheng Zhaoming’s profile, and the first post that caught her eye was a recent one.

From an iPhone, posted three minutes ago.

@Sheng Zhaoming: “She only has one good brother, and that’s me.”

Lu Hui wasn’t moved at all. In fact, upon seeing it, she yawned.

Great, thanks to Sheng Zhaoming’s outburst, this matter blew up, and his fame skyrocketed.

A few months ago, Sheng Zhaoming repeatedly denied media inquiries. When it came to saying he was her brother, he claimed it was fabricated. You could still find his comments back then: “Don’t know her,” “She’s spreading rumors,” “It’s fake.”

The slap to his face came faster than a tornado.

A man’s reputation is really worth nothing—he’s slapping himself online. What a spectacle.

Lu Hui didn’t follow him back and logged off after posting.

When she got home from the company, Sheng Zhaoming was strutting around like a peacock, trying to make his presence known.

He confidently thought that by helping her today, she’d look at him with grateful eyes.

But the truth was, she didn’t even bat an eyelash.

Sheng Zhaoming couldn’t help himself, “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

Lu Hui stopped, “Actually, I do.”

Sheng Zhaoming perked up, “Say it, I’m listening. You don’t have to be so…”

But she interrupted him halfway.

Lu Hui looked at him, her sincerity almost shocking, “Is your illness not cured yet?”

Sheng Zhaoming let out a cold laugh, “You’re the one who’s sick!”

Words like these made him regret it instantly.

Sheng Zhaoming couldn’t help but glance at her expression. The girl’s face was a bit pale, no extra expression, her eyes slightly drooping, looking almost like she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

His heart tightened, and his chest tightened a few times.

He shouldn’t have argued with her; she was already sick.

Sheng Taizi said something he had never said much in his life: “Sorry.”

Lu Hui didn’t even realize he misunderstood her as being upset by his words. She was someone who didn’t show much expression, always appearing cold and distant. She was used to acting aloof, so changing that habit wasn’t easy for her.

She was startled but replied, “It’s okay.”

Sheng Zhaoming really was becoming more polite.

“I’ve arranged a doctor for you. He’ll fly back from the U.S. next week. He’ll take a good look at you. There’s hope for a cure.”

His voice was low and filled with sorrow.

Lu Hui responded, “I’m not sick.”

Sheng Zhaoming ruffled her hair, “Listen to your brother, as long as you’re alive, there’s hope.”

If you’re dead, there’s nothing left.

It was the first time he had ruffled her hair, and Lu Hui was stunned. Was Sheng Zhaoming possessed by someone else?

—

A few days later, during the live broadcast of the second episode of the show.

Before the live broadcast, the mentors had to participate in a media interview. Cen Yueze never participated in group interviews, simply because it didn’t showcase his uniqueness.

Lu Hui always seemed to run into Cen Yueze backstage.

He called out to her as she tried to slip away, “Are you in a relationship?”

Lu Hui responded, “No.”

“Good.”

“But I will be in the future.”

Cen Yueze didn’t like hearing that. He wasn’t happy about it. So he said, “Your company will teach you how to be a star.”

Lu Hui responded, “Oh, but our company doesn’t oppose us dating.”

Cen Yueze stayed silent for a long time, then a cold smile appeared on his lips. “Fine, your company can go bankrupt along with you.”

“…” Lu Hui felt like this guy really hated sweet, romantic love. Maybe he was just jealous of what he lacked.

Cen Yueze, wearing a coat, walked past her and stopped, suddenly saying, “You should wear knee pads when practicing dance.”

Lu Hui: “Alright, thanks.”

Recently, her knee had been hurting a bit, and she hadn’t expected to be able to wear knee pads for protection. In her memory, knee pads were something only elderly people used.

Lu Hui learned how to sing and dance while she was in prison, from a fellow inmate who was a dance teacher. The woman had been scammed by her boyfriend, got involved in the gambling business, and was reported by a man who lost over 17 million. She ended up in prison.

The bond forged by sharing a prison meal was particularly strong, and Lu Hui had been very close with this sister at the time. The woman taught her everything she knew, without holding back.

This sister would always say, “Men’s mouths are the devil’s trap,” and would brainwash her every day, constantly reminding her that women should learn to please themselves before manipulating men.

She had spent five long years in prison.

When the sister asked her about her situation, Lu Hui felt embarrassed to admit that she had been wrongly accused and taken the fall for someone else.

With half an hour left until the second live broadcast, Lu Hui stayed in her dressing room while the backstage staff worked frantically, running around as though they were about to fly.

Lu Hui felt that the staff tonight seemed unusually serious, checking and re-checking everything multiple times.

The first episode hadn’t been so intense.

Lin Tong bit into a strawberry and explained, “A lot of big investors have come tonight, including Xie Ran and several well-known producers.”

“Xie Ran, huh?” Lu Hui said, her interest waning.

“There’s going to be some excitement. I heard that the handsome long-haired man, who looks like a god, is here to watch you.”

Lu Hui propped her chin in her hand and said in a mock serious tone, “He’s going to be the death of me.”

Lin Tong was skeptical. “They can’t all be here for you, can they?”

“Don’t flatter me,” Lu Hui replied.

Lin Tong was just joking.

Lu Hui inwardly thought, great, now Xie Ran and Yan Zhao can both go to hell!

A few minutes later, Lin Tong, always up to date on gossip, shared a new tidbit she’d heard from her work groups. “Breaking news: your so-called good brother, the one you verified with real name registration, Sheng Zhaoming, is here tonight. He’s sitting in the VIP audience. I have a feeling tonight’s viewership ratings are going to skyrocket.”

Lu Hui was speechless.

Great, everyone’s going to be in trouble together!

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