"Take your time to think it over during the holiday," the agent said, leaving her alone.
The apartment Rong Qiao lived in was bought with the money she'd earned over the past two years. It wasn't large, but it was the result of her hard work. Compared to the crowded company dormitory when she first debuted, this place was quite good.
To own such an apartment in the extremely expensive city of B was a luxury.
Rong Qiao sat by the bay window, watching the ceaseless traffic below, her mood utterly depressed.
She couldn't accept the drastic fall from grace.
Just yesterday, she was a beloved star, chatting and laughing with company executives at dinner. They had even discussed her future development plans, talking about investing in a movie for her.
In the blink of an eye, she had been blacklisted by the company.
Rong Qiao covered her face, tears streaming down uncontrollably.
Years of effort had turned to ashes in an instant; how could she not be heartbroken?
She cried until her voice was hoarse.
After a long while, Rong Qiao finally mustered the courage to open her phone and log into her social media platform. All traces of her online presence had vanished as if she had never existed.
One moment she was trending on hot search with that man, the next she had silently disappeared from public view.
This was the cruelty of reality.
Rong Qiao wiped away her tears and scrolled through the private messages from her fans.
At least she still had a group of lovely supporters.
Whenever there was news about her, they would leave messages of encouragement, congratulations, or comfort, making her feel warm.
This time was no exception.
She first checked the post she had made the day before yesterday. Many new comments had flooded in, mostly asking about her rumored relationship with Lu Yanbei.
Most of these people were curious, with only a small portion genuinely concerned about her.
"Qiao Qiao, is your relationship with Young Master Yan real? If it's true love, I support you!"
"Beautiful Qiao looks so gorgeous! You and Young Master Yan look so compatible!"
"Qiao Qiao, please tell us the truth, are you really together?"
"My dear girl, be happy!"
Rong Qiao read each message, feeling a little bit of comfort.
She had privately added a few of her most active fans and occasionally exchanged information, such as her schedule, to facilitate fans meeting her at the airport or arranging "chance" encounters.
Among them was a particularly familiar fan page administrator.
Her concerns were slightly different from others.
"Qiao Qiao, the internet is talking about new love and old flames... don't tell me someone interfered? Who is that woman?"
One person spoke up for her.
Rong Qiao knew she meant well, but Lu Yanbei was not someone she could afford to offend. This was true before, and even more so now. So, she quickly clarified, "No, it's just the marketing accounts making things up."
"So, is your relationship with Young Master Yan real or fake?" the fan page administrator seemed to have been waiting for her to log in and replied immediately upon receiving her message.
Rong Qiao hesitated for a moment before truthfully replying, "Fake!"
"Ah? I thought it was real! Seeing your interactions, it was quite sweet, and I'd already imagined a whole drama series." The fan page administrator spoke her mind quickly.
"I wish it were, but he's not interested in me," Rong Qiao said with self-mockery.
"He's not interested in a beauty like you? I really want to know what kind of goddess he wants to marry!" The fan page administrator had become a fan because of Rong Qiao's looks, and later found her acting and character to be good, eventually becoming a loyal fan.
"It's hard to say about matters of the heart," Rong Qiao said, raising an eyebrow as she thought of the rumors.
Lu Yanbei's marital status was no longer a secret, but he protected his wife tightly, never allowing the media to bother her, so there wasn't much information about his wife online.
She knew because their two companies had a collaboration, and she had incidentally seen her once at the Lu Corporation. Although the distance prevented her from clearly seeing Mrs. Lu's appearance, Lu Yanbei's arm around her shoulders the entire time was unforgettable.
Lu Yanbei must deeply love his wife.
"I heard you're being suppressed by the company, is that true?" While Rong Qiao was lost in thought, the fan page administrator had already changed the topic.
"No, I'm just tired and want to rest for a while," Rong Qiao couldn't possibly admit she'd been blacklisted, so she made up an excuse.
They chatted for a few more sentences, and fearing she might slip up, Rong Qiao ended the conversation, claiming she had a phone call.
Coincidentally, right after she lied, a call did come in.
It was an unknown number.
"Hello, who is this?"
"Is this Miss Rong? I'm Qiao An'an," the caller said straightforwardly, introducing herself once the call connected.
Rong Qiao frowned.
She was certain she didn't know this person, only that she had heard her name.
After all, Qiao An'an had gained some popularity a while ago, achieving a certain level of recognition.
Albeit, it was short-lived.
"Do we know each other?" Rong Qiao, unsure of the caller's intentions, probed cautiously.
"That's not important," Qiao An'an said with a smile. "What's important is that I can help you."
Rong Qiao smirked coldly. "I don't understand what you mean."
"A friend told me you offended the company's top executives and were blacklisted?" Qiao An'an got straight to the point, not wanting to waste time.
Rong Qiao hadn't expected the news to spread so quickly, and she gnashed her teeth in anger.
Who was the gossip who leaked it!
The company had only given her a break and hadn't yet reassigned her resources, likely waiting for her to yield. But for people to be spreading rumors that she was blacklisted now was too much!
"Miss Qiao, where did you hear these rumors? I wasn't aware."
"I have my sources, naturally," Qiao An'an said triumphantly. "Don't worry, I'm not here to mock you."
Rong Qiao pursed her lips, not responding.
This Qiao An'an definitely had ulterior motives.
As expected, Qiao An'an's next words validated her suspicion.
"Are you willing to let years of hard work go to waste? Do you want to be recognized by the company again and reach the peak of your career?" Qiao An'an began to entice her.
"How can you help me?" Rong Qiao did not outright refuse.
She wanted to know what Qiao An'an's intentions were.
"Speaking of which, a large part of why you ended up in this situation is that he refused to stand up for you," Qiao An'an said, a hint of obsession in her eyes as she mentioned Lu Yanbei.
Even now, she hadn't given up.
Even if he hated her, it was better than being ignored.
"I found the reporter who took the photos and learned what happened that day. He could have helped, but he chose to stand by and watch you being bullied..."
"If he had spoken up, they would have at least shown him some respect. But no... he just watched coldly!"
"I saw today's hot search, and I really sympathize with you!"
"Actually, you could have used the hot search to reach new heights. But Lu Corporation removed the hot search, giving you no chance to recover."
"Miss Rong, can you swallow this humiliation?"
After listening for a long time, Rong Qiao finally caught a hint of the meaning behind Qiao An'an's words.
Was this Qiao An'an trying to team up with her to deal with Lu Yanbei?
Her mind wasn't working very well!