Tu Ye’s fan base was at least half the size of Zheng Yi’s, but they were far more aggressive. They could argue a losing case with sheer force, and many people had a low opinion of them.
Chen Yuan’s goal was to muddy the waters even further, diverting the public’s attention away from Kong Yinmeng.
He adjusted his glasses, a sense of frustration gnawing at him. He couldn’t believe he was acting as a manager for a celebrity yet had to deal with a non-celebrity’s online backlash.
With the ex-girlfriend resurfacing, Tu Ye’s Weibo had exploded again. The platform was as lively as a New Year’s celebration, with countless users staying up all night.
“Good morning.”
Zheng Yi’s greeting snapped Kong Yinmeng out of her daze. For a moment, she had been convinced she was dreaming, only to realize the dream was real.
“Good morning. What time is it?” She had set her alarm for 7:00 AM, but the sunlight streaming through the curtains suggested it was well past that.
Zheng Yi handed her the phone from the nightstand. “8:30. I turned off your alarm to let you sleep in for another hour and a half. What do you want for breakfast? I’ll order takeout.”
He had already opened the delivery app and was scrolling through options, occasionally asking for her input.
Kong Yinmeng stared at his profile. So this is what it feels like to have a boyfriend, she thought. It’s actually pretty nice. On a warm, cozy morning like this, she would have stayed in bed all day if her mother wasn’t in the hospital.
“You just finished filming the variety show,” she said, as they both got dressed while waiting for the food. “What’s next on your schedule?”
“I have an event this afternoon,” Zheng Yi replied. “After we eat, I’ll drop you off at the hospital and then head straight to the airport.” His flight was at 11:30 AM, and he’d already calculated that he had plenty of time.
Kong Yinmeng pursed her lips, hesitating. “I can go to the hospital on my own. You should rest at home for a bit, then just take a cab to the airport when it’s time.”
“Why won’t you let me take you?” Zheng Yi asked, pulling her close by the neck and staring into her eyes, daring her to lie. “Are you tired of me already?”
Kong Yinmeng pinched his cheek. “Have you forgotten you’re a top-tier celebrity? You’re already a magnet for paparazzi. Add me a walking headline to the mix, and the internet servers probably wouldn’t be able to handle the traffic.”
She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a quick kiss. “You’re about to start filming your new drama, right? Once I’ve settled things here, I’ll come visit you on set. How does that sound?”
Zheng Yi wore a helpless smile, feeling as if she were coaxing a child.
“The director and Brother Chen have signed a new contract. I’ve been promoted from the second male lead to the lead. All the script reading I did for the second lead was for nothing. Now I need to focus on studying the lead role’s scenes. If you can’t reach me, don’t worry—I’m just working hard.”
Entertainment news was only thirty percent truth and seventy percent fabrication, all designed to grab attention. Outsiders could easily be misled, and he didn’t want some absurd rumor to cause a rift between them.
“Mhm, I understand.”
They finished their breakfast in peace. Just as she stepped out of the elevator, Lu Fangcao called.
“Mengmeng, it’s bad! Your name was finally starting to fade from the headlines, but Hao Bin’s wife just posted another video. Her baby is gone! She’s blaming everything on you. Reporters are swarming the hospital entrance right now—you absolutely cannot let them spot you.”
Xiao Ya’s baby is gone?
Kong Yinmeng’s heart ached at the news. The adults had made the mistake, yet a child was the one paying the price.
“Then I’ll find a way to sneak into the hospital. I have to accompany my mom for her full-body check-up today. Once the results are out, you can come with me to see Hao Bin.” Their issues needed to be resolved properly.
After she drove away, Zheng Yi rushed downstairs. He had just seen the news about reporters besieging the hospital and wanted her to delay her trip, but it was already too late.
After putting on a mask, he immediately headed for the airport, deliberately leaking the news of his arrival in Hong City along the way.
When Kong Yinmeng arrived at the hospital to disguise herself, she saw no sign of any reporter-like creatures. She put on her mask and called Lu Fangcao.
“Which entrance are the reporters camping at? I don’t see any… What? You’re saying he lured them all away?”
Lu Fangcao was nearby. After asking for her location, she hurried over with Liu Zhi in tow. “Zheng Yi was afraid you’d get mobbed by reporters, so he leaked his own itinerary. Those paparazzi all scrambled over there. Come on, once Auntie’s check-up is done, we’ll go find Hao Bin together.”
“You could have saved the baby! Why didn’t you save him?! It was only one hundred thousand yuan! You should have asked that woman for the money! She has plenty of it! Why did you just stand by and watch my child die?!”
Xiao Ya threw a wild tantrum. The other patients in the ward had mixed feelings about her pitying her for losing her child, yet resenting her for being so loud.
Seeing the couple fighting again, the patients in the other two beds decided to step outside for some fresh air to get away from the noise.
“How much longer are you going to keep throwing this tantrum?” Hao Bin’s patience with Xiao Ya was completely gone. The only reason he had held on this long was for the baby, but now the baby was gone.
Just as she had said, he *could* have kept the baby, but it would have cost a fortune. His parents refused to spend so much money to save a child whose gender they didn’t even know.
When Kong Yinmeng and her two friends arrived, the shouting in the hospital room hadn’t stopped. They exchanged glances, feeling a bit apprehensive. Why does Xiao Ya look like she’s gone completely mad?
“I’ll handle this!”
Lu Fangcao didn’t care about any of that. Sure, losing a baby was tragic, but what about the person who had been brutally torn apart by netizens? Was she not also a victim?
“You… what are you doing here?” Hao Bin instinctively pulled Xiao Ya back, afraid she might hurt someone. The scratches on the back of his hand were from her.
“Don’t you know what your wife did? If we don’t come, will she just keep slandering Mengmeng? I’m honestly baffled—what did our Mengmeng ever do to you to deserve your wife’s vicious attacks? You should take a good look in the mirror before you judge. Do you really think she’s so desperate that she’d try to seduce you?”
What Lu Fangcao really wanted to say was: With a boyfriend as handsome as Zheng Yi, who in their right mind would be desperate enough to go after a married man?!
“Fangcao, we’re here to talk reasonably. Hao Bin, and you too—I want to know what I did to offend you both. If it’s because I lent you 50,000 yuan out of the goodness of my heart, then please just give it back. I regret it now. Also, I’ve already saved the videos you posted. If you don’t post a clarification video, I will sue you for defamation. Like you said, I have the money and the time to drag this out with you.”
Kong Yinmeng had come here with two goals: first, to get her money back, and second, to make Xiao Ya admit that the two videos she had posted were completely fabricated.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have lost my baby! It’s all your fault! You still have the nerve to ask for the money? I’m not even asking you for money, and that’s good enough!” Xiao Ya clung to Hao Bin, terrified that he would actually return the money.
She had gone to cause a scene with Mother Kong specifically to justify spending Kong Yinmeng’s money and to smear her reputation, not to give the money back.
“I’ll transfer it back to you right now. As for the videos… it was my fault for not keeping an eye on her. I’ll handle it. Apologize to your mother on my behalf, and once we’ve sorted things out here, I’ll go and apologize to her in person.”
Hao Bin ignored Xiao Ya’s desperate grip. He was short on cash and had indeed wanted to borrow money from Kong Yinmeng, but with things having escalated this far, he was too ashamed to keep it.
“What do you mean, ‘how come’?! So my baby is just gone for nothing? Hao Bin, are you even a man?!” Xiao Ya screamed, lunging like a madwoman to grab his phone. Lu Fangcao stepped in, pinning her back down onto the bed in two strides.
“Your body is weak after losing the baby. You need to focus on recovering! If you keep making a scene, I’ll call the police on Mengmeng’s behalf. You intentionally shoved Auntie—that’s assault. You could end up in prison!”
Xiao Ya froze, her eyes darting around. She was terrified of being arrested, which was exactly why she’d staged this whole drama to shift the blame onto Mother Kong.
“The money’s been transferred. Meng… I mean, Kong Yinmeng, I’m truly sorry. I never expected her to do this. I’ll make sure she records an apology video to minimize the harm she’s caused you.”
Hao Bin’s humbled, desperate tone softened Kong Yinmeng’s resolve to pursue the matter. Still, there were things that needed to be said clearly.
“Xiao Ya, let me make this clear to you face-to-face. I have a boyfriend, and he’s far more successful than Hao Bin—he’s wealthy, ambitious, and has a real career. I love him dearly, so you can stop worrying about me stealing your husband. The money I transferred wasn’t even sent in my name; Liu Zhi sent it on my behalf. I gave it for the sake of the child, who is completely innocent, yet you’re the one who drove that child away… You should think about that.”
She had recovered the 50,000 yuan. As for the apology video, she planned to record a clarification video explaining the whole story. If Xiao Ya chose to record an apology, it would be a welcome addition. But if she refused, Kong Yinmeng was prepared to sue her for defamation.
Xiao Ya was an adult; she needed to face the consequences of her own actions. If she let her off the hook this time, who knew what other disgusting things she might do next?
Lu Fangcao accompanied Kong Yinmeng as she left, while Liu Zhi pulled Hao Bin aside in the hallway.
“I’m telling you the truth because I consider you a brother,” Liu Zhi said. “If you keep living with your wife, the rest of your life will be ruined. I’ve already resigned and am planning to start over in Hong City. Come find me whenever you’ve finally come to your senses.”
He was practically telling Hao Bin that if he ever found himself with nowhere to go after a divorce, he could come seek refuge with him.
Liu Zhi was unmarried, but from Hao Bin’s situation, he had learned a hard lesson: to support a family, you didn’t just need to marry a good wife—you also needed to earn a lot more money.
Or, to put it another way, once he earned enough money, he could *choose* a good wife, rather than being forced by his family to marry some random woman and spend the rest of his life in a chaotic mess.
Hao Bin glanced at the hospital room, nodded wearily, and said, “We’ll deal with the future later. We have to handle the immediate situation first.”
Kong Yinmeng waited by the machine for her test results and sent a message to Zheng Yi.
Mengmeng: Thank you for helping me out of that mess. Call me after you get off the plane. I’ll be waiting for you.