Chapter 023: You Stay With Me

Her younger brother had just dropped over a hundred million to invest in a variety show—just to back her up.

Before the money could even break even, they were forced to pour in another few hundred thousand to clean up the mess.

As the person at the center of it all, she couldn’t help but feel guilty.

Seeing the exhaustion on Lu Jingshan’s face, Fang Yimeng felt a pang of sympathy and quickly pulled out her phone from her pocket.

“What are you doing?” Lu Jingshan was still waiting for a response from his “sister,” but instead, she fished out her phone.

He pressed his lips together, then reached out and gently took hold of her wrist.

His warm palm touched her cold hand, and she instinctively turned her hand over to grip his wrist while extending her other hand to keep using the phone.

She said earnestly, with guilt, “I can’t keep letting you take the fall for me. The contract you signed is way too unfair. I’ll transfer 500,000 to you—you can use it to offset some of the cost.”

Lu Jingshan: …

His attempt at looking pitiful had clearly gone too far, and now the focus had completely shifted.

This was the last thing Lu Jingshan expected.

He looked at the serious expression on Fang Yimeng’s face, utterly helpless, as she struggled to complete the money transfer with one hand.

When he saw those five zeros on the screen, he knew he had to put a stop to this. He reached his left arm behind her and effortlessly grabbed the wrist holding the phone—pulling her gently into his arms.

“Your brother paid for the trending topic. I just coordinated with Weibo’s staff. I didn’t bleed out financially—I’m still solvent.”

His low, electrified voice brushed her ear. Though he was explaining seriously, the slight teasing tone made her ears flush red—she was especially sensitive to voices.

“Well, my poor brother really is the ultimate sucker then.” Fang Yimeng turned her head slightly, her mouth already starting to spout nonsense.

Lu Jingshan chuckled softly, but his grip on her wrist remained firm. He even took it a step further, resting his chin gently atop her head.

His dark eyes half-lidded, his voice grew lazier and finally betrayed a deep weariness.

“Ah Yi, stay with me for a while, okay?”

In the quiet living room, only his low whisper could be heard. Fang Yimeng licked her dry lips, feeling the weight of his head pressing down. She didn’t dare move. But being curled up in his arms felt oddly familiar.

At first, her body was tense. But as his tone softened and lowered, she gradually began to relax.

“Since you worked so hard in the middle of the night to sort out my PR mess… I guess I can stay with you for a bit. Want to sleep in my room for a while?”

Her naturally soft Southern accent, coupled with the guilt she felt for making Lu Jingshan stay up late, made her tone even more gentle and sweet.

Lu Jingshan took a deep breath and nudged his chin softly against her fluffy hair. His voice was low and playful, “Ah Yi, are you inviting me?”

Inviting him… to do what adults do?

“Sleep wherever you want! The couch is fine too!” Fang Yimeng’s mind was suddenly flooded with dirty thoughts.

Like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on, she jumped up and scrambled out of his arms.

With his arms suddenly empty, Lu Jingshan quietly rubbed his fingertips together, as if missing the feel of her cold little hand. He clicked his tongue against the inside of his cheek and let out a low laugh.

“Then let me invite you—just come sit with me in the car for a bit.” He dropped the teasing tone and looked genuinely tired again.

Fang Yimeng, now sitting on the far side of the couch, narrowed her eyes at him. “What are you, a three-year-old? You need company even just to rest?”

He shrugged with a look of helpless innocence. “I can’t sleep well without you there.”

Although she refused verbally, he could tell she was already starting to give in.

Lu Jingshan knew her too well. Fang Yimeng was the type who’d give in to gentleness, not force. She was easy to coax once you got the tone right.

He extended his hand toward her, palm up. His handsome features softened slightly, and his deep, almond-shaped eyes radiated a quiet warmth.

“I’m only doing this because my business partner’s been up all night,” Fang Yimeng muttered, her hand moving ever so slightly—but she still tried to save face with her words. “No decent person would just sleep with you.”

The smile in Lu Jingshan’s eyes deepened. He didn’t say a word, just reached over, caught her small hand, slid his thumb into her palm, and held it firmly.

“Just this once.” Her words were stubborn, but her body obediently rose with him.

“Mhm. Just this once.” His smile spread all the way to his eyes.

Lu Jingshan led Fang Yimeng out of the Fang family’s home. They only walked a short distance before they saw his car.

She quickly grabbed the keys from his hand and slid into the driver’s seat.

He didn’t question it—just calmly shoved one hand into his pocket and got into the passenger seat with ease.

“You don’t know this area well. I’ll drive. I know a quiet place without much traffic. You can get some rest. I need to talk to my agent later about some work stuff.”

While adjusting the driver’s seat, she noticed he hadn’t replied and turned her head in irritation.

To her surprise, Lu Jingshan had already reclined his seat, facing her with his eyes shut, sound asleep.

Looking at his handsome, resting face, Fang Yimeng paused for a moment.

After a bit of thought, she glanced into the backseat and found three or four blankets. She took one, carefully unfolded it, and draped it over him.

She started the car and drove toward the back garden of the complex.

Once parked, Fang Yimeng stepped out to take a call from Meng Qing to confirm their PR strategy and talk about next steps. By the time she got back, nearly an hour had passed.

Lu Jingshan was still fast asleep.

She half-reclined in the seat and began scrolling through Weibo and other apps to pass the time.

When she stumbled upon a few solo-girl happiness VLOGs and began yearning for that carefree life, a notification popped up on her phone—new messages in her Weibo Super Topic.

As expected, it was filled with posts telling her to quit the industry.

The Super Topic had been overtaken by haters. When there was no scandal, they treated it like a chatroom. But when there was drama, they’d launch full-on attacks.

Fang Yimeng had once seriously considered: if haters also count as fans, she’d be a top-tier celebrity with tens of millions of “fans.”

“Why are you looking at Weibo again?”

His voice was still husky from sleep, each syllable vibrating with that low, magnetic tone.

“I’m so miserable. Why do I get yelled at every day?” If it wasn’t her parents yelling at her, it was the internet trolls.

If she wasn’t already being scolded, she was on her way to it.

Lu Jingshan had just woken up. He looked over at her, his deep peach blossom eyes filled with an unhidden tenderness.