A hand stretched out from under the blanket, grabbing the phone on the bedside table for a look.
It was already 11:30 AM...
Yan Lu abruptly sat up. The room had blackout curtains drawn, making it so dark she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.
She spaced out for a mont before rembering that she was now sleeping in Shen You’an’s bed.
Where was An’an? Why didn’t she wake up?
Yan Lu slid into her slippers, stretched lazily, and walked out of the bedroom.
"An’an?" she called out, but there was no answer.
The place was eerily quiet.
On the dining table were leftover breakfast long gone cold, along with a sticky note.
——Went out for errands, back in the afternoon.
"Didn’t you say you had nothing to do? Liar."
Yan Lu had been looking forward to spending quality one-on-one ti with An’an, but to her dismay, she woke up to an empty house.
She popped the breakfast into the microwave to heat it up and was just about to eat when—
The doorbell rang.
She thought An’an had returned and excitedly ran to open the door.
Only to find herself stunned, staring at the delivery guy standing at the door.
"Hello, are you Ms. Yan?"
Yan Lu dumbfoundedly nodded.
The delivery guy handed her a food bag: "This is lunch ordered for you by Ms. Shen. Please sign for it."
Yan Lu took the bag, signed her na, and heard the courier wish her a pleasant al before leaving.
On the food bag was the logo of Desheng Building. Inside were four dishes and one soup—two at dishes, two veggie dishes—all to Yan Lu’s liking.
The most striking part? Each dish was prepared in small portions suited to her appetite, ensuring they were nutritious without any waste.
The four dishes and soup from Desheng Building weren’t cheap; this al was probably worth several weeks of An’an’s grocery budget.
Though An’an’s family circumstances were far from wealthy, she had always been incredibly generous and indulgent toward her friends.
Yan Lu was so touched she almost started crying.
Having a friend like An’an was a blessing; she vowed to repay An’an’s kindness a thousandfold in the future.
After washing up, Yan Lu enjoyed her lunch with great satisfaction. She had to admit, An’an had perfectly nailed her appetite. She ate every last bit, feeling exactly full, and not a scrap was wasted.
As for the remaining breakfast, she put it in the fridge—might as well save it for a midnight snack.
Feeling full and content, Yan Lu cozied up on the sofa, phone in hand, and tapped into Weibo to check out the latest gossip.
Tonight, Rong Xianning had a live birthday event. His fans were so hyped as though adrenaline was pumping through their veins, gearing up to smash records with tonight’s stream data and shake up the entertainnt world to show what "top-tier star power" really ant.
Yan Lu spotted a trending topic on the hot search: #Qiao Wan spotted at OB-GYN for the first ti since pregnancy rumors.
Yan Lu’s interest peaked instantly.
Qiao Wan’s pregnancy rumors had stirred the gossip pot over a month ago, dominating the daily hot searches. Her fans were hysterical, threatening lawsuits against anyone and everyone as though the whole world was targeting their idol.
Platinum Entertainnt had issued legal notices and police statents to intimidate people, but the paparazzi who leaked the story remained at large, even taunting Qiao Wan from afar. Since then, Qiao Wan hadn’t appeared publicly, canceling all her scheduled comrcial activities.
The public gradually realized her unusual absence might actually confirm the pregnancy rumor.
After over a month of silence and waning public interest, a new photo suddenly erged online, reigniting the flas.
In the photo, the woman did her best to disguise herself as an ordinary person, but Qiao Wan’s popularity was so high that keen-eyed netizens recognized her instantly.
The woman in the photo was none other than an unmade-up Qiao Wan. What’s more, the backdrop was none other than Mingren Hospital’s OB-GYN departnt.
Why would Qiao Wan visit OB-GYN? Pregnancy seed absolutely certain.
Her fans were still in denial, directing all their rage toward the netizen who posted the photo, unleashing a swarm of blind fury.
The netizen who posted the photo wasn’t one to back down. Instead of caving to the backlash, he retaliated. Almost as if trying to slap Qiao Wan’s fans in the face, he followed up by releasing a video.
The video showed Qiao Wan arguing with her agent in a hospital corridor. In it, the agent was telling her to abort the baby, saying that even the child’s father didn’t want her anymore, urging her to prioritize her career over clinging to so ill-advised romance.
Qiao Wan was visibly emotional, arguing back with the agent, insisting she would absolutely keep the baby.
The video lasted just over 30 seconds, but it was loaded with information. Moreover, Qiao Wan’s unmistakable voice was genuine, and the video showed no signs of editing or tampering.
Once the video went public, it completely shattered the defenses of Qiao Wan’s fans, sending shockwaves across the internet.
Qiao Wan’s public image was crumbling fast, her fans felt betrayed—so were still stubbornly defending her, so remained silent, and others began ditching her while trashing her in the process. Rivals eagerly piled on, while others simply laughed. Lower-tier actresses were already scheming to seize her resources.
Yan Lu happily joined the gossip frenzy. Serves her right—this is karma for having her dumb fans insult An’an.
She hopped onto her alternate account to post so mocking comnts, fanning the flas for the remaining obstinate fans.
Soon, an explosive piece of gossip surfaced on a rumor forum, attracting widespread attention.
The rumor claid that Qiao Wan had been a mistress. The man involved allegedly had an intimidatingly powerful background that would terrify most people if revealed. Coincidentally, his wife was infertile, and Qiao Wan was carrying the family’s eldest grandson. Her position would rise drastically by virtue of the child’s birth—wealth, status, everything.
If she delivered a son, it wouldn’t just an a lifeti of luxury but also crossing social class boundaries. Who cared about being an entertainnt queen or film mogul? Capitalists ruling the industry would eventually have to address her as "Madam." It was the ultimate rags-to-riches narrative, making the entertainnt world’s petty gossip and scrambles seem trivial to her.
In the comnt section, so believed the rumor; others didn’t. People speculated whether Qiao Wan had gone brainless or whether the man truly had astonishing influence. Many congratulated Qiao Wan sarcastically, saying that bearing a son would easily enable her to oust the proper wife and ascend to her coveted position.
Others sincerely suggested strategies for the legal wife, drawing on palace intrigue dramas: keep the child, discard the mistress, and stabilize her position as the legitimate spouse, paying Qiao Wan off with compensation.
Still more gloated over potential fallout, saying Qiao Wan might face major trouble—after all, the man had vanished after her pregnancy news. What did that imply? That his wife must be formidable. As the matriarch of such a powerful family, surely her tactics would be ruthless, leaving Qiao Wan vulnerable to eventual failure.
Yan Lu sneered: "Mistresses acting justified? What kind of twisted values do people have these days, glorifying wealth while turning a blind eye to morality?"
"If I were the legal wife, I’d make sure those lousy cheats suffered a miserable fate. Trying to raise soone else’s child? Dream on."
Yan Lu genuinely felt indignant for the legal wife. Imagine enduring infertility, husband’s infidelity, a mistress trying to usurp your place with the audacity of having a child. How infuriating.
"True wealthy families usually have impeccable manners. Any household indulging in mistresses and illegitimate kids is far from authentic nobility—more like nouveau riche."
Yan Lu spent the entire afternoon gleefully diving into internet drama, and before she realized it, it was already 4 PM.
Shen You’an returned at that mont, carrying a black sports bag stuffed full. She imdiately tossed the bag into the bathroom upon arrival.
Yan Lu curiously asked, "Where did you go?"
Shen You’an poured herself a glass of water: "Swimming."
Yan Lu pouted: "Why didn’t you take along? I’m great at swimming too."
"Also, weren’t you free today? What’s with the sudden swimming?"
Shen You’an sighed, "Plans never catch up to changes."
Having joined the provincial team to prepare for the upcoming championships, she had indeed been free earlier today—until Hong Cuiting called in the morning to inform her that the national team coach was coming for an inspection. She had to train.
The coach noticed Shen You’an’s talent instantly, even invited her for lunch afterward. As soon as it ended, she rushed back ho.
Yan Lu squinted at her: "You’re being so secretive these days. What are you up to?"
Shen You’an glanced at her watch: "It’s getting late; we should leave."
She sized up Yan Lu: "Are you seriously planning to et your idol looking like this?"
Realizing it, Yan Lu bolted into the bedroom. Thirty minutes later, she erged fully dolled up.
Shen You’an couldn’t help but chuckle: "Alright, fine—it works."
The extravagant princess look certainly made her stand out among fans. Her idol couldn’t not notice her.
Walking on the street, passersby might even mistake her for doing cosplay.
Yan Lu glanced at Shen You’an’s outfit: "Is that really all you’re wearing?"
Dressed entirely in understated black, the sole pop of color on her was her bold red lipstick—what a waste of her charming face.
"People might mistake you for my bodyguard on the street. You’re young—try dressing livelier, okay? I brought several outfits along, pick one."
"Just for today, I’ll be your bodyguard. The car’s already here, let’s go."
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