Chapter Fourteen: Failing to Recognize a Jewel

Before he could clearly see who had arrived, a familiar voice rang in his ear. "Chuanzhou, I'm really doomed this time. Please, save me. I don't want to quit the internet like this, so disgracefully."

Qingyue Lin clutched Yan Chuanzhou’s sleeve tightly, a single tear hanging at the corner of her eye, her pitiful expression so heart-wrenching that anyone who saw it would feel their heart tremble.

"Calm down first. Don’t overthink it," Yan Chuanzhou said, his brow relaxing slightly, a trace of pity slipping into his tone.

"If you don’t help me this time, I’m truly finished. Someone must be scheming against me behind the scenes, trying to drag me down. You know how common this is. I have no power or influence in the circle; you’re the only one I can rely on," she said, her voice thick with grievance. Tears welled up, her face pale and worn, her small frame appearing even more fragile.

The delicate aura radiating from her stirred a sharp pang in Yan Chuanzhou’s heart. Instinctively, he wanted to hold her, to offer a moment of comfort.

But just as words of solace reached his lips, Qingyue’s next words cut him off sharply. Her once delicate eyes now brimmed with resentment, her face becoming unfamiliar as she gritted her teeth and said, "I don’t know what trick Jiang Chiyu used, but she somehow got a bunch of netizens to defend her. She must be behind this, trying to pull me down. She’s jealous of me..."

Her words irritated Yan Chuanzhou. A cold frost settled between his brows, his expression growing dark.

Before he could respond, a sharp rebuke interrupted. Yan Chuanzhou pulled Qingyue’s hand away and said sternly, "Enough."

Feeling the chilling aura radiating from him, Qingyue shuddered, her confidence waning. With trembling fingers, she grabbed the corner of his sleeve. "Chuan... Chuanzhou, what’s wrong?"

Though she had her suspicions, Qingyue dared not face the harsh reality, nor look directly at the terrifying thought within.

Everything shattered the moment Yan Chuanzhou spoke, dispelling her countless assumptions about his strange behavior.

"This has nothing to do with her! If she really wanted to hurt you, she wouldn’t have been smeared across the entire internet from the start. Control your fans and stop deliberately directing them to attack Chiyu, or I won’t let you off either!"

Yan Chuanzhou’s dark eyes locked with Qingyue’s, making her tremble all over.

She knew he was truly angry this time, but he had never cared about Jiang Chiyu before, nor had he stopped her from going after Chiyu.

Yet now, he had called her “Chiyu”...

That name cut through Qingyue’s heart like a knife, tearing at her with agonizing pain.

---

I’ve always been the one by your side, yet you never see me. Why her? Why Jiang Chiyu?

Qingyue screamed silently, the intense pain overwhelming her. She stepped back and bumped into the door, the sharp ache in her back bringing her back to reality.

A heavy silence filled the room. Qingyue sheepishly withdrew her hand and cautiously apologized, “I... I’m sorry. I was careless. I should have thought of this as soon as I woke up in the hospital. It won’t happen again.”

Feeling the shift in Qingyue’s mood and hearing her words, Yan Chuanzhou suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Perhaps his earlier words had been too harsh.

Most of his anger dissipated. Not one to apologize easily, he suppressed the coldness around him and spoke calmly, “I’ll handle this. Don’t worry too much.”

Qingyue had thought all was lost, but hearing Yan Chuanzhou’s firm assurance, relief washed over her face. She then said, “I knew you wouldn’t want to see me smeared like this. Chuanzhou, I’ll be more careful with what I say and do from now on. I won’t let my fans misunderstand again.”

In that brief sentence, she completely cleared herself.

“Alright. Do you have anything else?” Yan Chuanzhou asked with an indifferent expression.

Having achieved her purpose, Qingyue no longer wished to linger. Smiling brightly, radiant as ever, she said, “No, that’s all. You rest well, Chuanzhou. I won’t bother you anymore.”

With that, she obediently opened the door and stepped outside.

As the door closed behind her, Qingyue glanced toward Jiang Chiyu’s room, fists clenched tightly, fingers cracking with tension, jealousy surging within.

---

At that moment, Jiang Chiyu was sitting in her manager’s car, engrossed in a nonstop game, occasionally letting out excited exclamations.

“Hey, hey, almost caught it, almost caught it!”

“Come on, dude, why are you running? Hit him!”

“Ah! I died again!”

Sitting beside her, manager Wen Jiu sometimes found Jiang Chiyu’s childish noise irritating and couldn’t help but tease her, “How did you learn to play games? You’re getting more childish by the day. Why didn’t I know you were such a gamer before?”

Jiang Chiyu didn’t panic at all. Calmly, she replied, “It’s never too late to realize now. It’s better than me doing stupid things all the time before.”

---

Previously, Jiang Chiyu had clung to Yan Chuanzhou like glue whenever she had free time.

Because of this, Yan Chuanzhou was extremely annoyed by her, and the two never had a chance to be rumored about together.

Most scandals about Jiang Chiyu online stemmed from her mischief, yet despite every trick manager Wen Jiu tried, she couldn’t get Jiang Chiyu back on the right path.

Now that Jiang Chiyu was addicted to gaming, Wen Jiu found it somewhat acceptable—after all, everyone has their little hobbies.

“That’s true. As long as you don’t drag the Emperor of Shadows into this or recklessly pester him, I’ll be grateful,” Wen Jiu said after a moment of thought, finally feeling at ease. Nothing was more comforting than a compliant artist.

Jiang Chiyu kept her eyes fixed on the game, instinctively nodding and then speaking without hesitation, “I was too blind before. My current abilities only let me choose one or the other. Love can never compete with bread.”

Hearing this, Wen Jiu nodded approvingly, “That’s the right mindset. Always remember your identity and never do anything inappropriate, especially since you’re at a crucial point in your comeback.”

Checking the time, Jiang Chiyu saw they were nearly at their destination. She turned off her phone and opened a chat with someone named “Narcissistic Flying Pig,” sending a message: [Where are you? I’m almost there.]

Almost immediately, the reply showed “Typing...”

Narcissistic Flying Pig: I’m waiting for you at Terminal 2 of the airport. Hurry and come meet me.

Receiving the message, Jiang Chiyu instructed the driver, “Take us to Terminal 2.”

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