Fu Lingchu arrived in the afternoon.
The bodyguard said that Li Jing had smashed the head of the big young master Feng in the morning, but the big young master Feng didn’t say anything, and he was still sitting by her bedside, groveling.
So when Fu Lingchu arrived, he still had a secret hope.
If only Li Jing could hit him too.
At least, she was still willing to exert some effort on him. Perhaps, it wouldn’t be complete disappointment.
Fu Lingchu, with this secret hope, hadn’t even reached Li Jing’s ward when he met her in the corridor outside.
She had taken off her dreamlike evening gown and changed back into her ordinary hospital gown.
It was like Cinderella after midnight, all the illusions they had created for her had vanished in a cruel way.
“Li Jing,” Fu Lingchu said hoarsely.
But she seemed not to hear, and she passed him by expressionlessly.
She didn’t even spare him a glance.
As they brushed past each other, Fu Lingchu even heard something rumble.
Li Jing’s eyes really didn’t have him in them anymore.
The girl who used to be afraid that he would be cut by glass had completely ignored him.
Yes, what had he done?carpreads.pages.dev
He played with her feelings, and he wanted her to bleed.
But… but he could make up for it, couldn’t he?
She wanted to do charity, he could give her the best support.
She wanted to continue to experience a glamorous life, he could give her the best things in the world.
There was still a chance to make up for those hurts.
Li Jing’s hand began to gather strength.
The moment Fu Lingchu uncontrollably grabbed Li Jing’s wrist, she turned around and slapped him hard across the face.
Crisp!
—To be honest, it was the most satisfying to slap Fu Lingchu!
After all, President Fu’s melodramatic love line was the most abundant, and President Fu himself had the most inner monologues.
With this slap, Fu Lingchu’s turned face actually had a sense of brokenness.
—Fu Lingchu Favorability +2%
System: “He’s so cheap. Really.”
Li Jing looked at Fu Lingchu coldly as he slowly turned his head, raising his hand to wipe the corner of his lips.
She suddenly smiled.
Fu Lingchu didn’t have time to dwell on the slap he had just received, he was stunned by her beautiful smile, but the next moment he heard her ask with a smile—
“Fu Lingchu, are you afraid I won’t donate blood to Ye Yan?”
Fu Lingchu’s heart went up and down several times, and by now, only a heavy contraction remained.
“No…” he explained palely, “That’s not what I meant.”
“—Don’t worry.” Li Jing didn’t want to hear his explanation.
“As long as you continue to do good for the foundation, I will donate blood.”
Anyway, the blood donated was fake, but the money received was real, hahaha—
She turned and walked slowly and alone towards the ward.
Fu Lingchu watched her back.
At that moment, this usually cold-hearted person felt an urge to cry.
—Fu Lingchu Favorability +2%
Ye Yan had a very pleasant day.
It wasn’t until evening that she condescended to ask about Li Jing’s condition.
“How is she?”
“Miss, from the hospital’s surveillance footage, she looks like a walking corpse, either she’s going crazy and throwing things.”
Ye Yan gave a regretful smile: “Oh, really, why bother…”
To be her substitute, yet to be so deeply immersed in it, it was truly pathetic.
“What about them?”
Ye Yan was referring to Fu Lingchu, Feng Ce, and Du Jinghuai, the three men.
The other party hesitated for a moment before saying, “President Fu and Young Master Feng have already gone to see her.”
Well, then they must have seen Li Jing’s haggard appearance, or perhaps she was acting like a crazy woman.
“Then what?”
“Then… they’ve all left.”
Ye Yan’s hand, which was watering the flowers, suddenly stopped.
All left?
They didn’t come to see her?!
Ye Yan’s hand, clutching the watering can, tightened, eventually showing blue veins.
“What about A’huai?”
-—–
Du Jinghuai was also supposed to go see Li Jing.
His feelings for Li Jing were very… complicated.
It was a mixture of dark desires, unspoken pity, and the shame of the truth being revealed.
If Li Jing was willing, he could also provide her with a lot of help… to make up for the harm he had done to her.
However, as soon as he stepped into the hospital from the back door, something happened with Ye Yan.
She had been in the hospital for days, and she had developed severe negative emotions, constantly shedding tears in a pitiful way, and needed to return to her familiar environment.
Ye Yan’s condition was too bad, and in a hurry, Du Jinghuai could only carry Ye Yan out of the hospital.
It wasn’t until they returned to Ye Yan’s boudoir, under Du Jinghuai’s gentle comfort, that Ye Yan gradually calmed down.
Her heart also settled, now Du Jinghuai was still on her side.
Ye Yan was always a woman with strong initiative, and now she couldn’t wait any longer, she would carry out her plan tonight.
Du Jinghuai was tidying Ye Yan’s tear-soaked hair, but a question popped into his mind.
At the foundation’s launch ceremony, if Ye Yan’s recording was taken because she also donated to the foundation, then why was the poster like that? Why was Li Jing’s promotional poster replaced with Ye Yan’s face?
After Ye Yan’s emotions had completely calmed down, Du Jinghuai spoke softly, “A’yan, why was it you on the poster that day?”
Who made the promotional image?
—Of course it was Ye Yan herself who did it.
She was never someone who was indifferent about fame and fortune, retiring from the entertainment industry, on the one hand, was because she did have some health problems back then, and on the other hand, going abroad for treatment could effectively balance her three biggest fish, cultivate their protectiveness, and make them miss her for a long time without being able to get her. In this way, when she returned to China—
Fame, status, and the most outstanding man, she wanted them all.
She should have been standing in the brightest spot under the spotlight, receiving all the praise and love, shouldn’t she?
Now, because of Li Jing, that vile woman, her plans had encountered many problems, but Ye Yan had to regain control of these men.
Her expression was impassive, her eyes blank as she looked at Du Jinghuai: “A’huai, what poster are you talking about?”
Du Jinghuai withdrew his probing gaze without a trace.
Although it was a coincidence, perhaps Ye Yan didn’t know. And they probably… didn’t want to suspect Ye Yan.
Yet, Ye Yan sensed his agitation.
She covered her mouth, her eyes filled with panic: “My… my poster was put up? Will… will I be recognized…?”
Of course, Ye Yan’s goal tonight was to ride on Du Jinghuai’s popularity, to return to the public eye, to make that stunningly beautiful female star once again the object of adoration.
But in front of Du Jinghuai, she had to maintain her persona of being delicate, soft, and unable to withstand public scrutiny and attacks.
“It’s okay,” Du Jinghuai reached out, patting her reassuringly, “I’ll… take care of it.”
There was a list of everyone who attended the launch ceremony that day, it wouldn’t be difficult to inform them.
“Mm, A’huai, I trust you.” Ye Yan looked at him with a gaze that was both dependent and trusting.
However, that night, a set of photos made it to the trending searches.
Photos of the popular Acting Emperor carrying a delicate beauty away from the hospital went viral across the internet.
Although she had retired from acting for a long time, and the news had been suppressed across the internet, this time, with Ye Yan herself pushing it, her name was already on everyone’s lips.
Du Jinghuai had already asked his public relations team to handle it, but this time, the news spread like wildfire, impossible to contain, all sorts of speculations ran rampant.
Only clarification, only a denial.
Du Jinghuai furrowed his brow deeply, Ye Yan’s tears made Du Jinghuai feel restless.
He felt incredibly tired, but there was only this one simple solution.
To keep Ye Yan’s illness a secret.
To quell the rumors of Ye Yan clinging to the acting emperor.
To prevent the contamination of her past career and works.
—So.
When Du Jinghuai stepped into Li Jing’s ward again, his steps were unusually heavy.
Li Jing sat by the bed, watching Du Jinghuai’s reflection in the window.
—I’ve been waiting for you, darling^_^
The focus of this plot point was Du Jinghuai. Who would had thought that when the truth about the substitute was revealed, and both male leads one and two were about to become love-sick dogs, male lead number three could still continue to inflict harm on the substitute!
And this melodramatic plot was the key to getting Du Jinghuai to 90% favorability.
Li Jing looked at him silently: “Mr. Du, what’s the matter?”
“Could you…”
Du Jinghuai found it incredibly difficult to speak.
But he couldn’t… he absolutely couldn’t let the person he had protected for so long be hurt.
Finally, Du Jinghuai spoke.
“Could you please clarify that the person I carried away tonight wasn’t Ye Yan, it was you?”
Because Li Jing was just an ordinary person.
Because Li Jing was the substitute.
So she could be thrown to the wolves.
Li Jing’s clear eyes were now devoid of emotion, she just stared quietly at Du Jinghuai.
Seeing Du Jinghuai almost unable to face her.
Knowing that Li Jing had already learned the truth, and that her body had been damaged as a result… to protect Ye Yan, he still used the substitute.
Adding insult to injury.
Li Jing’s expression was as if she was in so much pain that she couldn’t show any more emotion.
Yet, Du Jinghuai felt her pain clearly transmitted to his heart.
—Du Jinghuai’s favorability +3%
Then Li Jing smiled.
She laughed, and then her eyes turned red.
Du Jinghuai found his own eyes starting to burn. He instinctively said, “What do you want, I can give it to you…”
“As long as you, help her.”
In the silent ward, the Acting Emperor’s cool demeanor had vanished.
At that moment, he felt a sense of humility, just like the past Li Jing.
Finally, Li Jing spoke: “Okay, I can help her—”
Du Jinghuai looked at her deeply.
“You also donate ten bags of blood.” Li Jing said.
The petals of the little white flower were slashed with a thousand cuts, and she finally became alluring.
Du Jinghuai closed his eyes tightly: “Okay…”
As the blood was drawn from his body, he finally understood Li Jing’s feelings.
What was being lost, and what kind of emotions were being poured into the empty blood vessels, flowing to his limbs.
It turned out, she felt this way…
—Du Jinghuai’s favorability +3%
Almost 90% now, my old bro.
Li Jing’s inner demon whispered: Since he’s already physically bleeding, let’s make it a bigger hemorrhage!!
Du Jinghuai had donated as much blood as he could, and then he stared intently at Li Jing.
Li Jing had been smiling throughout his blood donation, her eyes sparkling with tears:
“Don’t you want me to replace her?”
Du Jinghuai: “…Yes.”
Li Jing said: “Then let me stay on the hot search, in the most dazzling position.”
Du Jinghuai was taken aback.
“Don’t you want to protect her? Use my name—” Li Jing said, letting a single tear fall precisely, “completely cover her up.”
Du Jinghuai looked at her, silent for a long, long time.
“Okay.”
This was also… what Ye Yan wanted. A peaceful life, undisturbed by the public.
So, Li Jing’s name shot to the top of the hot search, and Du Jinghuai directly invested tens of millions for her.
So everywhere you looked, there was Li Jing’s face and Li Jing’s name.
Sweeping through all the revelry.
Li Jing checked the backend earnings and smiled sadly: “Your Ye Yan… must be very happy.”
Du Jinghuai’s heart felt an indescribable sourness.
“She will be.” he said.
—Du Jinghuai’s favorability +3%
Ye Yan who watched all this: “No?! No!!!”