The next day, the scandal that had been fermenting all through the night suddenly slapped Sang Yu right in the face. No one knew how that paparazzi managed to identify Sang Yu based solely on a profile shot of her being carried in a “princess hug.”
Undoubtedly, this made the matter even more sensational. One must not forget that Sang Yu and Song Yunsheng were already deeply embroiled in rumors of a marriage crisis.
The internet has a long memory, especially since Song Yunsheng had been frequently appearing on trending searches lately, maintaining an ambiguous relationship with Su Miao. Even if netizens wanted to forget, they couldn’t.
In an instant, talk of a “four-way entanglement” reached a fever pitch.
Originally, Sang Yu was just casually browsing, but with one swipe, she found that every platform and app was pushing related articles. Sang Yu was left gobsmacked by just a glance at the content. They had even dug up a drama Sang Yu had collaborated on with Jiang Xin years ago, claiming with forced seriousness that they had known each other back then.
Sang Yu was utterly stunned. To make matters worse, quite a few people believed this narrative. Likes easily reached tens or hundreds of thousands. There were fans “shipping” the couple, people hurling insults, fans of the various stars crying over their “idols'” plight, and passersby just enjoying the drama…
It was a chaotic free-for-all involving multiple factions. Sang Yu never imagined she would hit the trending searches in such a fashion.
After a brief silence, she hesitantly sent an apology to Jiang Xin.
Yesterday, Jiang Xin had been kind enough to take her to the hospital and had even offered to help pull resources for her; yet, she ended up being misunderstood like this.
Jiang Xin was an Omega who had maintained a “pure” persona for several years; now, she had suddenly become a “third or fourth party” in the eyes of the public. No matter how Sang Yu thought about it, she felt she had wronged her.
In her message, she added, “I will have Sister Lu find a way to issue a clarification later. The hospital staff should also be able to testify. I am truly sorry.”
However, Jiang Xin didn’t seem to care. Almost as soon as Sang Yu sent the message, Jiang Xin called her.
Sang Yu subconsciously worried if she would be scolded, but then she felt she deserved the tongue-lashing and braced herself to answer. Instead, she heard Jiang Xin’s voice, full of comfort: “Sister Sang Yu, don’t overthink it! It’s nothing. I’ve been in the entertainment industry for so long; a little scandal is normal.”
“You don’t have a team right now, so my company’s PR department will handle this. You just focus on resting and do your best for the audition! I’ve always liked your acting; I hope we can work together this time~”
Now, Sang Yu was somewhat flattered. She felt deeply grateful but still insisted on proving Jiang Xin’s innocence.
Just then, Lu Lingxi arrived with breakfast to visit her. When Sang Yu hung up and mentioned the matter, Lu Lingxi’s first reaction was to roll her eyes.
“This kind of thing needs to ferment before you clarify it.”
She poked Sang Yu’s head forcefully, looking as if she found her hard to understand. “Look at you. Jiang Xin has been in the industry for three or four years and knows how this works. How is it that you’ve been out for three years and lost your perspective?”
“Let the hype build up first. Whether it’s ‘black’ or ‘red’ fame doesn’t matter. The worse the reputation is now, the bigger the rebound will be when the truth is revealed.”
Sang Yu pursed her lips. She understood the logic, but… “Jiang Xin is my savior, after all. We can’t just stay silent like this, can we?”
“Well, I’m your savior too, so why don’t you listen to me?”
Lu Lingxi snorted, though she also expressed high praise for Jiang Xin’s character. “I have to say, Miss Jiang is a truly good person.”
“If she wanted to clarify, she could do it at any time. But she hasn’t, and she’s even comforting you.”
Lu Lingxi leaned in, striving to convince Sang Yu.
“Jiang Xin has to survive in this circle too. Don’t you see why she hasn’t clarified? This is a mutually beneficial opportunity. Don’t let your conscience weigh you down too much. If the person involved hasn’t said anything, why are you in such a hurry?”
Sang Yu couldn’t win the argument against Lu Lingxi, and since she had no channel to speak out herself, she could only nod and drop the subject.
Seeing this, Lu Lingxi felt relieved and patted her. “Rest well today. I’ve told the nurse to bring you food. I’ll come to see you in the evening.”
After taking a couple of steps, she seemed to remember something. “Oh, by the way, I didn’t tell Little Song CEO which hospital you’re in. You’d better turn off your phone. Jiang Xin isn’t in a hurry about this four-way scandal, and Su Miao probably isn’t either. So, the one who is most anxious…”
Lu Lingxi laughed gloatingly and left happily.
Even though she didn’t finish her sentence, Sang Yu understood who she was hinting at. After all, Song Yunsheng was the only one in this mess who wasn’t in the entertainment industry.
It was obvious that the Song Group’s PR department must be swamped these days. Various rumors were emerging one after another, and such a high level of discussion couldn’t be suppressed simply by throwing money at it.
Sang Yu coughed twice and gave an uncharacteristic smirk. Just then, the doctor came for rounds and discussed her condition with her privately.
In fact, after the CT scan, her physical symptoms weren’t very pronounced. The doctor speculated that Sang Yu must have been triggered by something, which, combined with the alcohol and intense emotional fluctuations, led to such a severe stress response. She suggested that Sang Yu reduce her contact with the relevant individuals and reminded her to stay calm.
“Maintain a peaceful state of mind. Your current situation hasn’t reached the point where you need inpatient treatment, so don’t keep your nerves so tightly strung.”
With that, the doctor left, leaving Sang Yu alone to stare blankly at her medical records. Actually, she was feeling a bit regretful now. Her thoughts yesterday had been too stubborn, insisting on saying nothing while enduring everything.
But she wasn’t the culprit in this matter; why should she torture herself? If Jiang Xin hadn’t passed by, what would she have done?
Sang Yu took a deep breath and suddenly changed her mind.
She turned off airplane mode and immediately received dozens of missed calls, all asking where she was. With an unchanged expression, Sang Yu sent her hospital location and room number.
Not long after, Song Yunsheng walked in, her high heels clicking.
The lingering anger was still visible on her face. Without even glancing at her surroundings, she snapped viciously, “Sang Yu, are you satisfied with the situation now? The Song Group’s stock has plummeted. Do you think you can gain any benefit from this?”
Sang Yu had already guessed that since Song Yunsheng’s active attempt at seduction yesterday had been humiliated, she would still be fuming.
But even though she expected it, Sang Yu found it hard to imagine that Song Yunsheng’s every word was still about so-called “benefits.” For a moment, she didn’t understand—why did Song Yunsheng marry her in the first place? If it was for the Yunsheng Group, why was she unwilling to agree to the divorce terms?
Thinking too much was useless. Song Yunsheng had clearly reached the point of turning shame into rage. Sang Yu felt weary, but fortunately, her emotions were much calmer now. She simply threw the medical records right in front of her.
She spoke only one cold sentence: “I’ve been wanting to ask you the same thing.”
Song Yunsheng frowned, unwilling to look. Sang Yu, knowing her habit of self-deception, directly read out the line indicating the diagnosis in a loud voice.
Sang Yu showed no regard for Song Yunsheng’s dignity, and naturally, Song Yunsheng’s expression grew increasingly ugly. However, Sang Yu acted as if she didn’t see it and asked, “So what benefit do you get from refusing to divorce? If I don’t divorce and continue to live in your shadow, it will only make my condition worse.”
“Now do you understand why I am so set on a divorce? Now do you know why I don’t want to see you? I just want to get away from you. I just want to live properly.”
Her words came out one by one. Song Yunsheng’s expression shifted from anger to shock, and eventually, there was even a trace of panic.
Song Yunsheng took two steps back in a loss, saying blankly, “…I’m sorry, I didn’t know about this. I thought your hospitalization was just—”
Sang Yu ignored her and continued on her own: “And about yesterday.”
“Doesn’t my presence in the hospital explain everything? The facts are clear: the paparazzi and marketing accounts took things out of context. Jiang Xin was just passing by, found me unconscious, and brought me to the hospital.”
Having said that, Sang Yu looked up with a flat expression. “Now I’ve made myself clear enough. Every debt has its debtor. Song Yunsheng, you cannot blame me.”
Sang Yu rarely called her by her full name like this. Song Yunsheng froze there. She was not good with words and, for a moment, didn’t even know what expression to make.
All those sophisticated techniques she usually employed turned into nothingness in this moment; Song Yunsheng was at a total loss.
And Sang Yu no longer felt even a shred of pity for her. After saying her piece, she leaned back against the hospital bed and closed her eyes, giving a cold final summary: “Fine, I’ve finished speaking. You can get out now. I don’t want to see you again.”
Song Yunsheng lowered her head slightly and remained silent for a long time before leaving.
The moment she heard the ward door close, Sang Yu opened her eyes. She slowly sat up and began tidying the papers scattered on the floor.
It was good to have spoken openly; she did feel much more relieved now. However, Song Yunsheng’s silence also made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.
She could only close her eyes to soothe herself. Everything should have ended long ago. They were already a couple who only tortured one another; why continue to struggle so bitterly?
It was time to let go.
Sang Yu sighed and said no more.