Chapter 23.2
Zhan Lun noticed Xiang Qingwei hadn't touched the shrimp in front of her, so he cleaned his hands with a wet napkin and peeled one for her, then placed it in her bowl. He joked, "I noticed you haven't been eating the shrimp. Is it that girls don't like peeling shrimp?"
A cold snort came from Ling Jiayi.
"She's allergic to seafood."
Feeling a little awkward, Zhan Lun said, "Oh, I didn't know you were allergic to seafood. Sorry."
"It's fine. I really wanted to eat some too, but I can't. I have to restrain myself," Xiang Qingwei said with a smile.
After they finished eating, Zhan Lun left with them in separate taxis.
As soon as he got in his car, Ling Jiayi complained, "Who is this Zhan Lun guy? How come he's so annoying?"
Xiang Qingwei was responding to Vivian's WeChat message and chuckled at Ling Jiayi's comment. "Can't you eat someone's food and badmouth them right after? Isn't that a little rude?"
"How dare you say that! Who wants his free meal anyway?" Ling Jiayi was enraged.
"I reserved a restaurant ahead of time, but you insisted on eating with this stranger I'd never even met..." Not only that, during the meal, Xiang Qingwei only spoke to Zhan Lun, ignoring Ling Jiayi completely.
She hadn't even checked to see if he had eaten, completely disregarding him the whole time... Ling Jiayi felt more wronged the more he thought about it, and his eyes began to redden, feeling tears prick at the corners. He turned his face away from her.
Xiang Qingwei finally realized she had been a little too pushy with her demands at dinner. Ling Jiayi was already quite sensitive, unable to handle being the odd one out; she had completely ignored him for her own selfish desires, and now she felt immense guilt.
She moved closer to him, leaning in to look at him. "Are you mad?"
Ling Jiayi, afraid she'd see his reddened eyes and lose face, turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge her.
"I'm sorry. I was wrong for how I acted earlier, so I'm apologizing, okay?" Xiang Qingwei said.
Ling Jiayi clutched his panda doll, giving her a view of his handsome profile, refusing to turn his head.
Xiang Qingwei held up the little stuffed animal in her hands and waved it before him, "Sorry, sorry, please forgive me?"
Ling Jiayi slapped the panda away, glaring at her. "Childish." He turned his head back again.
Being called childish by the most childish person she knew left Xiang Qingwei with no choice but to laugh. "All right, how about I treat you to dinner tonight?"
Ling Jiayi's head immediately turned, suspiciously glaring at her. "Really?" After a pause, he added, "Just the two of us?"
"Just the two of us," Xiang Qingwei confirmed with a smile.
Ling Jiayi's gloomy face finally cleared, and he returned to his cheerful self.
Xiang Qingwei didn't think Ling Jiayi liked her in that way; he was only twenty-one and had a sensitive personality due to his family background, so he often changed moods abruptly. He could go from angry to sweet in a matter of seconds, simply because she promised him something nice. He needed constant attention, had a strong desire for possession, and relied heavily on her.
Xiang Qingwei knew he was jealous, but this kind of jealousy differed from the one between a man and woman. It was akin to how a child might dislike sharing his mother's love with others; Ling Jiayi feared that her attention would be taken away by others.
That was why he purposely showed off their "close relationship" to Zhan Lun.
In Xiang Qingwei's eyes, Ling Jiayi would always be that young man who had been so guarded and stubborn when they first met. Because he had never received much love or care growing up, he had dropped all his defenses and trust issues the moment she showed him kindness, leaning on her completely.
To Xiang Qingwei, Ling Jiayi was also someone special. Seeing him reminded her of herself in the past, so she naturally protected him, feeling immense patience and tenderness toward him, unwilling to see him upset.
By the time they got off the bus, Ling Jiayi, who had boarded it with a sullen face, had already recovered his high spirits from earlier in the day.
Xiang Qingwei was used to his extreme mood swings and didn't find it strange. Although he got angry easily, he was also very easy to mollify.
As soon as she returned to her hotel room, Xiang Qingwei received a call from Vivian, the head of the public relations group.
Vivian's message was short and sweet: "Please check your WeChat. I'm reminding you now that you're about to trend on the hot searches."
Xiang Qingwei's heart dropped. She opened the app to see the screenshot Vivian sent her, and the fondness she had felt toward Ling Jiayi earlier vanished into thin air, leaving only lingering smoke.
Xiang Qingwei furiously knocked on Ling Jiayi's door. "Look at this! What is this? Didn't I tell you to stay out of it?"
Ling Jiayi was startled by Xiang Qingwei's aggressive appearance, but once he focused on the image on her phone, his expression shifted, and he frowned. "Who released this?"
The image Xiang Qingwei showed him was a screenshot of the message he had sent in the fan group on Weibo the previous night.
I don't want what happened at the airport today to repeat itself.
She is my family, the most important person in my life. If you insult her, you insult me.
Xiang Qingwei frowned deeply. "The point isn't who leaked it, but rather that you shouldn't have made such posts in the fan group. I told you yesterday, let bygones be bygones, and to leave it alone. But then you turn around and post these things in the fan group?"
Ling Jiayi pressed his lips together, looking stubbornly at her. "I said I wouldn't let the incident from yesterday happen again."
A headache instantly came over Xiang Qingwei. "I know you're trying to protect me, but do you know what the consequence of your actions will be? Your fans won't stop cursing me just because of this, they'll just not curse me out in front of you. Before, they were only cursing me, but now, they probably hate me to death, wishing I'd get hit by a car."
Ling Jiayi's face paled.
"It's not just me, either; you'll be affected too." Xiang Qingwei's expression grew grave. "Those internet trolls are like mosquitoes that smell blood; they've all swarmed up. Now screenshots have already filled the entire Weibo..." As she spoke, she began pacing back and forth in the room, face heavy, mumbling to herself.
Fans would never be able to accept their idol warning them for the sake of their manager, especially when Ling Jiayi had claimed that she was the most important person in his life.
This would undoubtedly jab right into the hearts of his fans. The person they had constantly insulted was officially stamped by Ling Jiayi as the most important person in his life, so wouldn't they have to suddenly become the villains?
This identity shift was something fans would never tolerate, nor could they accept that their idol would view a woman with no blood ties as the most important person in his life.
Ling Jiayi's fans were certainly livid, and it was merely a matter of time before they turned en masse against him.
The situation could only be salvaged by Ling Jiayi's response.
Xiang Qingwei remembered what Vivian had said over the phone earlier, and her eyes lit up. "This will definitely trend on social media... In that case, we might as well take advantage of this trend to do some reverse marketing..."
But when she turned to Ling Jiayi, she hesitated.
Ling Jiayi noticed her change in expression, and the way she seemed to struggle to speak up. "What is it?"
Xiang Qingwei sighed, looking at him with difficulty. "Jiayi, I know you don't want others to know about your family situation, but this is a very difficult time.
You know your foundation isn't stable yet; this is only your second project. If we let this incident continue to escalate, it will certainly have a significant impact on your reputation..."
"No need to explain." Ling Jiayi interrupted her, pressing his lips together and looking at Xiang Qingwei sternly. "I was the one who created this mess, so I should be the one to take responsibility. Don't worry about me; you can do as you please."
At that moment, Xiang Qingwei suddenly felt a wave of relief and inspiration, as if her immature and unruly son had finally grown up. She walked over and patted his head, lifting the corner of her lips into a smile. "Don't worry, I'll protect you to the best of my ability."
Ling Jiayi was taken aback for a moment, gazing at her before pulling her into an embrace, and holding her tightly. He buried his forehead in her shoulder, feeling his eyes sting and his chest tighten as he said, "I'm sorry..."
He had wanted to protect her.
Yet in the end, it was she who protected him.
When would he be able to protect her? When would she be able to rely on him?
Xiang Qingwei was taken aback momentarily, then let out a soft sigh, understanding that he was feeling down. She gently stroked the back of his head, whispering softly, "It's okay, it's okay."
In truth, although she was slightly angered by his words, she was also deeply moved. No one had ever claimed that they were the most important person in his life before. He was the first.
Ling Jiayi secretly tightened his arm, basking in her gentle touch and sweet scent.
"All right, I need to give Vivian a call," Xiang Qingwei said as she pushed him aside.
Ling Jiayi nodded obediently, following Xiang Qingwei to the door. He then carefully asked, "So, are we still having dinner?"
"Let's discuss that later." Xiang Qingwei pulled open the door, her mind elsewhere.
"Oh." Ling Jiayi responded disheartenedly, like a big dog who had made a mistake and dared not request anything further.
Xiang Qingwei didn't spare him another glance as she dialed Vivian's number. "Hello, Vivian, I've already thought of a solution..." she walked out the door as she spoke.
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The entire book has been translated, with a total of 414K words and more than 1,200 pages.
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