CEO's Sweetheart is a Super Idol

Chapter 267 - 260 Each Thought

The broadcast of Episode 5 has brought lingering ripples from certain trivial issues regarding the selection of professional specialties.

For instance: Lu Peiqin, who was saved by Lv Fangxin, rolled her eyes in public at the latter and disrupted the whole team just to highlight her discontent.

Lu Xiaoman ignored the bigger picture, lacking talent but full of unwarranted confidence. Merely having filmed several ancient-style short videos gave her the delusion that she could produce a good ancient-style song in a short time.

Ultimately, Lv Fangxin’s brilliant touch set the tone for the entire song and saved the entire performance.

Neither Lu Peiqin nor Lu Xiaoman expected that they themselves would become targets of online attacks.

"These are all lies! I’m not that kind of person at all."

Lu Peiqin, whose mental resilience was weak, hid in the corner of the emergency staircase, trembling and drenched in tears.

Lai Ruoxuan looked at her teammate, at a loss for what to do.

Jiang Meixing didn’t know how to comfort her either.

"...Ruoxuan, Meixing, I just wanted to stay here. Is that somehow wrong?"

"Peiqin, you’re not wrong. Everyone has the right to fight for their own future."

Soft-hearted Lai Ruoxuan crouched in front of her and said sincerely.

Lu Peiqin started trembling even more violently, and a sudden trace of unwillingness appeared on her face.

"I’ve struggled bitterly in this industry for five years—the best time of my life."

"I want to stand on the stage; I want the spotlight to shine on me."

"I don’t want to end up like people like Fan Lei—abandoned as ’trash.’"

Kind-hearted Jiang Meixing felt as though she were reevaluating her friend anew.

In the past, this wasn’t the Lu Peiqin she knew. Where had the carefree, quietly supportive teammate gone?

Could the yearning for fame really change a person so much?

"Peiqin, don’t be like this. Even if we leave, we can still continue back in the group."

At Jiang Meixing’s words, Lu Peiqin’s eyes immediately turned fierce and resentful.

"You and Ruoxuan can already confirm you’ll stay. I know it—you’re beautiful, and you’re cute. Only I am the one least liked by the company."

The two of them were stunned by her words. They couldn’t believe that the person in front of them, someone who had shared hardships and spent every moment together, would say this.

In the dormitory

At this moment, Meng Meixuan was holding Lu Xiaoman and softly comforting her.

"Meixuan, I just can’t accept it—what does Lv Fangxin have besides her face?"

"Xiaoman, I understand how you feel."

Meng Meixuan sighed, her expression becoming overwhelmingly gloomy.

"When you’ve poured all your effort and sweat into something, yet the final result is snatched away by someone useless, it’s painful—agonizingly painful."

Lu Xiaoman grew even more upset after hearing her words.

"From the creative process to the final performance, that bumpkin dragged us down the entire time. Yet, riding on her high popularity, the mentors shower praises on her, and the production team edits her to seem understanding and decisive."

Lu Xiaoman gritted her teeth so hard she nearly crushed them.

Meng Meixuan hated it too. She hated that despite all her hard work, all the sweat she’d shed, and years of dreaming relentlessly, she still couldn’t compare to a useless performer incapable of singing or dancing.

"Lv Fangxin is such a green tea, and that Ye Yuwei—those two clearly have a shady relationship but act like they don’t even know each other." Lu Xiaoman grew even more irritable at the thought.

To her, Chen Yinghan simply picked up old shoes and treated them as treasures. It made her feel sorry for and pained on the latter’s behalf.

Meng Meixuan felt as if an army of ants were gnawing at her bones, such was her distress.

She had originally believed Ye Yuwei had rejected her because she wanted to focus single-mindedly on her career. But as it turned out, there was already someone unspeakable by her side.

In her eyes, Ye Yuwei hid her relationship with Lv Fangxin perhaps because she was afraid her financial backer might find out, or perhaps to avoid having prior scandalous matters exposed.

"Xiaoman, don’t be sad. People like us—honest folks—can never beat those crafty schemers."

"Meixuan, you’ll always be there to comfort me, won’t you?"

"Of course, you’re my one and only sweetheart..."

In another dormitory, Wu Zixuan slumped in frustration.

Though she had projected limitless confidence onstage, her first-stage faceoff against Yang Ni ended in defeat, she failed to win top votes in the first public performance, and even though she secured the top vote in the second public performance, she still disastrously lost to Li Zimeng.

Now, the internet was rife with voices doubting her abilities. For someone with a truly competitive spirit like hers, this crushed her dream of becoming center stage (C-position).

"Zixuan, why are you alone here instead of practicing?"

Li Shihan, who returned to grab some band-aids, asked in surprise.

"Shihan, do you think I’m a failure?" Wu Zixuan sounded anxious.

"No, you’ve already done your best."

"But not once have I delivered a stage that lives up to the persona I was given."

Wu Zixuan didn’t put up any pretense before her close friend.

Li Shihan thought for a moment, then sat beside her and spoke earnestly:

"Zixuan, now that we’re here, all we should think about is how to perfect our performances. The rest—let the company deal with it."

"We can’t make the showrunners give us what we want, nor can we control the audience’s preferences. What we can control is doing our best and being true to ourselves."

Wu Zixuan froze upon hearing those words.

She, initially mocked as the blind-selection first pick, the "homely" girl symbolizing the youth-oriented show, saw things more clearly than anyone else.

She was right! Why get caught up in all this now?

Within the show, the only one free from a company’s influence might be that "monster."

If her agency struck a deal with Penguin Entertainment, her ambitions would naturally be fulfilled.

The outcomes witnessed thus far were evidently Penguin Entertainment promoting Meixuan while suppressing her.

No matter how hard she struggled, it would be in vain.

In the practice room

Chen Yinghan and Lv Fangxin lay together on the floor, warmed by its gentle heat.

Their cascading hair spilled across the ground, bathed in a warm sunbeam streaming through the window.

Their outfits were thoroughly soaked, carrying a salty, sweaty fragrance.

Back in school, Chen Yinghan already sensed she was different.

She discovered that she preferred interacting with girls. Even during the era of budding crushes, when others were infatuated with boys of varying charisma, she felt absolutely nothing.

Her attitude in this show was almost too laid-back.

If not for Lv Fangxin, perhaps the production team wouldn’t have even given her screen time.

Her original intent in coming here was simply to add another credential to her resume and gain brief exposure. Ultimately, her career aspirations lay in television and film.

Yet, through a twist of fate, she unexpectedly encountered a friend for life.

"Yinghan, are you tired?"

"Not too bad. Do you want some water?"

"No, drinking too much makes me feel like there’s something sloshing around in my stomach when I dance."

Lv Fangxin’s words made Chen Yinghan break into a subtle smile.

She turned her head to look at the radiant, pure flower blooming beside her.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Lv Fangxin felt her face warm—unsure whether it was due to that look or the sunny glow enveloping them.

Raised in a single-parent household with divorced parents, her mother’s love had always felt scarce.

She deeply craved affection and tenderness from other women.

Her prior work experiences exposed her to hostility and malice.

Thus, encountering Chen Yinghan made her feel nurtured and cared for in a way akin to a mother’s embrace, leading step by step to reliance—an attachment to Little Chen, her anchor.

"I’m looking because I like looking at you. Seeing you calms me."

Chen Yinghan’s smile grew even softer, her beautiful eyes glowing warmly.

She felt unbelievably lucky to have a friend like Lv Fangxin.

At six, she had been sent to learn singing and dancing. But with parents consumed by their careers, her childhood had lacked love.

She had envied other kids who had moms and dads by their side.

Many trainees claimed the competition brought them personal growth. For her, the greatest reward was finding a true friend.

Their encounter felt like fate—mystical and indescribable.

Together, they shone as stars in each other’s hearts, a shared light.

"Yinghan, with you beside me, I’m not afraid of those dark tides, even if they swallow me whole, because I know you’ll pull me back up." Lv Fangxin said earnestly.

"If neither of us debuts, I’ll bring you home, inherit my family business, and take care of you for life." Chen Yinghan matched her seriousness.