Chapter 58 Simply a Scam
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The first trending topic on the hot search list: A popular actress and pure-love goddess, caught in a dimly lit corridor, was heard accusing her husband of neglecting her and their child, and even forcing her to entertain clients with drinks.
The second trending topic: Zhou Yifan personally went to a high-end international kindergarten to pick up a child. Sitting in a car by the roadside, he watched the nanny bring the child over, and the child opened the car door and called him Dad. Yet in another video, this very child appeared near the residence of the popular actress Ailian.
The third trending topic: Zhou Yifan and Ailian, both in disguises, appeared on the courtyard path of a suburban villa area. That villa area had long been rumored to be an enclave for the wealthy elite in the entertainment circle—precisely where the Zhou family residence should be located.
The evidence was as solid as it could possibly get.
There was no drawn-out battle, nor the slightest chance for entanglement or counterattack. Beyond a doubt, Ailian and Zhou Yifan had been secretly married with a child for a long time, all while maintaining a pristine, innocent persona for their fans.
And the most innocent person in this entire ordeal was her own best friend, who had been inexplicably branded as the other woman!
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I only just found out... I actually only just found out!"
Lin Ke was furious!
You can never truly know a person's heart beneath their smiling face; who would have thought Zhou Yifan was such a scoundrel!
And look at herself! Not only had she failed to stay by Xu Meiqi's side during such a time, but she had even posted a video mocking them!
Instantly pulling out her phone, Lin Ke opened the app "Chrysalis" to delete her video, but ever since she entered the second stage of the competition, the company had been managing her account, and now she couldn't even log in herself!
"What's the use of deleting the video? You're not the only one discussing this matter online... Besides, you didn't really say anything specific. You only talked about the parties involved, not me being the third party..."
"No, no, no! You are not the third party!"
Xu Meiqi's hands hung limply by her sides, her heart utterly shattered. "Heh, right, I'm not. Apart from you, who else in this world would believe I'm not the third party...
Everyone at Yellow Lantern knows about my relationship with Yifan. How could I ever wash myself clean of this...
Online revelations always unfold in stages. First they reveal their relationship, and the next step will be exposing the relationship between Zhou Yifan and me. There are simply too many traces they can dig up.
People at my company, even the security guard at the front door or the cleaning staff upstairs, could tell you a thing or two about our relationship... Although we never did anything overly scandalous at the office, he never once denied his relationship with me!"
"It makes my blood boil! How could he be such a person?"
Seeing Lin Ke's angry expression, Xu Meiqi couldn't hold back her tears any longer. After all, her best friend cared about her the most; at least she was standing by her side right now.
"Keke, what should I do... I really don't know anymore, I'm completely out of options..."
Xu Meiqi cried in absolute despair. Lin Ke had never seen her in such a state of utter breakdown. Feeling both furious and anxious, she could only crouch down and gently wrap her arms around her shoulders.
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"It's not your fault, you simply didn't know."
"No one will believe that! Nothing I say will matter! She has so many fans, he has such massive fame, and I have nothing..."
She had already been branded as a mistress; nobody would care why she became one, and she would forever be nailed to the pillar of shame.
Not being allowed to contact him via WeChat, not being allowed to initiate contact at night, not being allowed to stand together in public places... Turns out these weren't due to the nature of his work, but simply because she was never meant to be seen in public.
How could Xu Meiqi accept this?!
They had been together for a full two years!
Back when she hadn't even graduated from college, he had actively appeared before her in the guise of a talent scout!
It was he who helped package her into a well-known livestreamer, allowing her to earn over ten thousand a month just through part-time work. It was he who provided the most robust support upon her graduation, enabling her to resolutely become a full-time streamer for Yellow Lantern.
It was he who accompanied her through the 700 most wonderful days and nights of her life!
Yet, as it turned out, was the destiny she thought she was fated for nothing more than... being kept as a mistress?
"I don't believe it, I just don't believe it..."
True friends perhaps really do share hearts; the rims of Lin Ke's eyes also grew somewhat red. She had met Zhou Yifan a few times. Whenever that man accompanied Qi Qi, he had always appeared so considerate, gentle, responsible, and mature.
Yet it was all just a scam.
He hadn't only stolen her body, her career, and her future, but he had also cheated away her heart.
"If worst comes to worst, let's blow this whole thing wide open!" Having spent several months at Chrysalis, Lin Ke was not entirely clueless about how the internet worked.
"Since they're already married and trending on the hot search list, you should publicly question them right there in the hashtag! Demand to know why he played with your feelings and why he provoked you in the first place!
Since your exposure will ruin you beyond redemption anyway, you might as well drag him down to hell with you! Why should you be the only one bearing the consequences of his mistakes?"
If others dug up their relationship, all the filth would be hurled at Qi Qi, but if she struck first, she would simply appear as the victim!
At least when the insults flew back then, she could hurl them right back!
Lin Ke was filled with righteous indignation, but Xu Meiqi only shook her head while crying.
She couldn't do it...
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She simply couldn't do it...
She had once fantasized about spending a lifetime with him!
Every single plan she had for the future included a piece of him!
How could she possibly turn against him in such a bitter feud...
"I can't do it, I just can't do it..."
"He deceived you like this, what is there that you can't do? Xu Meiqi! You are not the one who did wrong!"
"It was me, I was the one who did wrong..." Xu Meiqi covered her face with her hands. "It was I who refused the company banquet, it was I who clashed with the big-name director at the dining table, and Zhou Yifan only became a target because he was standing up for me.
Director Song himself said at the time that he would ruin him completely, yet Zhou Yifan still came out to comfort me... Keke, he still chose me, he still loves me!
If not for me, someone as smooth and tactful as him would never have clashed with a director from such a massive company. If not for me, none of these scandals would have been leaked; he had ten thousand ways to suppress this matter...
Everything he did was for me!"
"Alright, alright."
Lin Ke tightened her embrace once more. "Let's not talk about it anymore, let's drop it if you won't. He's an agent; it was his duty to protect you anyway.
What kind of a good guy takes you to a drinking party? To think you were summoned away by the company that day and so many things happened—I shouldn't have let you go then..."
Since Zhou Yifan had still shown a shred of human decency, Lin Ke didn't want to curse him too harshly at the moment:
"Since it's already happened, just make him clean up the traces. With the Zhou family's background, it's impossible they can't smooth over something like this.
Worst case scenario, we won't argue with him and just treat those years of sincere devotion as feeding a stray dog!
You're still young, what hurdle can't be crossed? It's no big deal. They are artists and agents; they are even more terrified of blowing things out of proportion."
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