Chapter 132: An Ungrateful Wretch, Impossible to Tame

Di Jia’er furrowed his brow. “It’s not that simple.”

“Huh?” Bai Lu looked up from her phone. “What isn’t that simple?”

Di Jia’er poked her in the forehead, exasperated. “You want to focus on being an actress, but you don’t want to quit show business! Please, could you take your own affairs a little more seriously?”

Bai Lu picked up her phone, looking aggrieved. “A-Sui, Brother Jia’er is bullying me. He’s been bullying me all day…”

“I am not! Brother Sui, don’t listen to her nonsense!” Di Jia’er leaned over and growled at her phone. Then he took a closer look and discovered that she was not even logged into WeChat. She was browsing Weibo.

Having been dazzled by beauty and nearly committed sacrilege against her fairy prince, Bai Lu would never dare contact him first.

Ever since the day she had fled in panic, the fairy prince had always been the one to message her. She would reply timidly, never using more than five words, and usually with a sticker.

Unlike her, the fairy prince never prattled on, sharing every little thing that happened to him. He only asked after her health and whether her cold had gotten better.

Their last exchange had been yesterday.

Knowing she was leaving that day to film a variety show, he had prepared snacks that were easy to conceal and told her to pick them up from Room 888.

She had agonized over what excuse she could use to refuse.

She could say she was leaving the next day and it would be inconvenient, but they lived in the same building.

She could say she was dieting and had given up snacks, but even she would not believe that.

After much deliberation, she had simply never replied.

Di Jia’er realized he had been tricked and ground his teeth in fury.

“Hahahahahaha…” Bai Lu laughed so hard she began pounding the floor. “Brother Jia’er, you’re so easy to fool.”

“Lu Yiting’s little bitch?” Di Jia’er struck back.

Bai Lu fell silent. “…I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have teased you, Brother.”

Di Jia’er said, “That username’s pretty good. Simple and easy to understand. Don’t be such a stranger—let’s follow each other later.”

A celebrity with more than four million followers following her back? That would not merely expose her identity. It would be the death of her.

Bai Lu set down her phone, knelt properly, and smiled sweetly. “Brother Jia’er, is my kneeling posture standard enough?”

Di Jia’er was anxious on behalf of Brother Sui. “Do you really like Actor Lu that much? You’re even willing to become his little bitch?”

Bai Lu said, “…That was the damn input method. I meant to type ‘little darling.’”

Di Jia’er said, “…That’s even worse. ‘Little darling’ is disgusting.”

Bai Lu: “……”

The two of them stared at each other in silence for a while. Feeling that business mattered more, Di Jia’er sat down beside her.

“Have you figured out who it is?”

Bai Lu looked at him blankly. “Figured out what?”

When Di Jia’er fell silent and began to laugh coldly, she did not dare keep pretending. She cleared her throat. “I do have a few suspects.”

This was not merely a matter of hiring online trolls to smear her. Someone had organized a whole army of disguised anti-fans. They pretended to be pitiful, picked fights everywhere, dragged others down, and tied themselves to various controversies. Their methods were far too professional, and their tactics far too sophisticated.

Ordinary passersby and netizens could not tell whether these people were disguised anti-fans or genuine fans of hers.

Since they were causing trouble while wearing the identity of her fans, all she could do was swallow her grievance in silence.

That method was very familiar.

Hearing this, Di Jia’er did not press her further. “As long as you’ve figured it out, that’s enough. I was only afraid you hadn’t even realized someone was targeting you.”

Little Lu was a clever girl. Since she had already noticed, there was no need to worry.

She slapped the floor. “Do I look like some complete idiot?”

Di Jia’er replied blandly, “Kneel properly.”

Bai Lu: “……”

She had only just returned to her knees when Lin Ye came running over from the distance. With a slap, quick as lightning, he dropped to his knees beside her.

Di Jia’er: “?”

Lin Ye said, “You can’t blame Sister Little Lu alone. I was the one who called her short and insulted her first. Brother Jia’er, if you’re going to punish someone, punish both of us.”

Bai Lu: “……”

Apart from having a foolish brain, this child was quite wonderful in every other respect.

With Lin Ye interrupting them, Di Jia’er could no longer whisper privately with her. After warning them twice not to cause any more trouble the next day, he sent them both packing.

Lin Ye winked at her. “Sister Little Lu, I came to save you! No need to thank me. It was what I should do.”

Bai Lu: “……” With a benevolent expression, she patted the foolish golden retriever on the head. “Give me your dormitory address. Once I’m back in the capital, I’ll mail you some drinks.”

The food-loving Lin Ye grew excited. “What kind? If you’re sending something, I prefer fizzy drinks! Brother En and our manager won’t let me have any.”

Bai Lu smiled faintly. “Drink more walnut milk. It’ll nourish your brain.”

Lin Ye: “……”

The cameras had already been turned off when the manager of Zu Xingen’s group came over with complete openness.

“Little Lu, may I post this photo?”

It was a picture of Bai Lu and Lin Ye kneeling on the ground while Di Jia’er lectured them.

The other guests were seated together not far away, eating red-dyed eggs and drinking milk, their faces bright with laughter.

The angle was excellent, and the atmosphere had been captured beautifully.

Li Huan and Zu Xingen were speaking with their heads lowered, as though discussing how to educate their children. On the plates beside Shen Xinluo and Liu Jiajia, three eggs had already been peeled, apparently prepared for them.

The photograph instantly conveyed the warmth of a large family.

Even Lin Ye was stunned. “When did you take that?”

The manager looked at him as though he were an idiot. “When you were being punished on your knees.”

Bai Lu said, “…It’s fine. Post it.”

The manager thanked her and went to ask the other guests for permission as well.

Lin Ye leaned close to her ear and whispered, “What happened with Liu Jiajia last time left our manager traumatized, so he insisted on coming along this time. Normally, he doesn’t care about our little obscure group at all. His attention is always focused on the other, more popular boy group under the same company.”

Bai Lu offered a pointed reminder. “Brother En doesn’t say anything because he’s already popular enough to carry the entire group by himself. Once this show is over, you’ll be the second-most popular after him. Your group is a little lacking in professional ability, and your agency isn’t doing much for you, but you’re all good-looking. You have to seize this opportunity. Once the audience starts paying attention to you, your chance to rise will come.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, Lin Ye told her frankly, “The company wants Brother En to go solo and start filming television dramas. Brother En couldn’t bear to leave us, so he refused. But I think Brother En is raising a pack of ungrateful wolves…”

Be confident. Remove the words “I think.” Your Brother En really was raising a pack of ungrateful wolves.

In her previous life, Zu Xingen had originally been able to go solo—and rise even higher—but he could not bear to abandon the younger members of his group. He had stubbornly carried the entire group on his back.

Yet not only did he receive no reward for all he had done, he also earned endless abuse.

Apart from Lin Ye, every other member of the group was an ungrateful wretch. They never considered how much Zu Xingen had sacrificed, nor did they reflect on why they had become so unpopular. Instead, they believed Zu Xingen had stolen their opportunities and that the company was playing favorites.

Ungrateful wolves could never be satisfied.

The fans cursed him as well, accusing Zu Xingen of lacking team spirit, monopolizing the group’s opportunities, and enjoying the agency’s favoritism. They demanded that he leave show business.

In the end, Zu Xingen, his heart thoroughly broken, left the group and prepared to abandon his career as an idol in order to focus on television and film.

But by then, it was already too late. After wasting several years as an idol, every last bit of his popularity had vanished.

He did only slightly better than Li Huan, relying on his stunning looks to play minor supporting roles in one costume romance after another.

Zu Xingen had originally been an idol with the potential to become a top star.