I Ran Away After Flirting with the Goddess - Chapter 10

Before clicking into Shen Lishu’s trending topic, An Rongrong took a deep breath and comforted herself.

Stay steady, stay steady, don’t panic. It’s just a small scene.

It wasn’t like An Rongrong hadn’t experienced this kind of thing before—it was always fake news.

Those marketing accounts were experts at catching shadows and weaving stories from photos. They would take a random picture of any man walking with Shen Lishu and, regardless of age, label him as the boyfriend. It was never real.

Take the last time, for example: they caught Shen Lishu eating with a middle-aged man, and the marketing accounts swore he was her “sugar daddy.” And what happened?

In the end, it was revealed they were on the same household register—biological father and daughter!

The marketing accounts were slapped across the face so hard it echoed.

This time, it was probably her uncle or her maternal uncle; everyone has a few relatives and friends.

Whether it was an elder uncle or a younger uncle, it definitely wasn’t a boy-friend!

As a “girlfriend fan,” An Rongrong refused to accept the reality of the Sister being in a relationship!

No matter who it was, she wouldn’t agree!

An Rongrong bit her lower lip, finished her mental preparation, and clicked into the hashtag.

The top-ranking marketing account with the most comments had directly posted three high-definition GIFs.

In Image 1, Shen Lishu was dressed in casual private clothes and a black baseball cap, carrying something in her hand. She was walking alone without her assistant Xiao Zhang by her side, but overall she looked relaxed and leisurely.

Then, in Image 2, the “rumored boyfriend” appeared. He was waiting for Shen Lishu up ahead. After they met, they paused for about a minute and then headed straight toward the hotel.

Image 3 showed them entering the hotel together and not coming back out.

Although there was no physical contact and their movements weren’t ambiguous throughout the sequence, there was a moment where the man reached out his hand, looking like he wanted to put his arm around Shen Lishu, but she directly rejected him.

After watching the whole set of images, An Rongrong sat dazed on the floor, her eyes staring blankly ahead. It felt as if she were thinking about a thousand things yet nothing at all; she only felt that the air conditioner in the room was set a bit too low, making her palms icy cold.

Actually, Shen Lishu didn’t have many scandals, but hashtags like this appeared a few times a year.

Every time she saw one, An Rongrong would feel miserable and lost for a long time. For her, it wasn’t as simple as her “house collapsing” (idol having a scandal); after all, she had liked Shen Lishu for over ten years.

To An Rongrong, Shen Lishu was not just an idol or a professional pathfinder, but the guide of her life.

If she hadn’t accidentally watched one of Shen Lishu’s movies, An Rongrong didn’t know what she would be like now.

Maybe she would have dropped out of school long ago, or locked herself in her room all day, refusing to step out, eventually becoming depressed and autistic until she was sent to a psychiatric hospital.

During those dark years, Shen Lishu was like a beam of light, piercing through layers of heavy clouds, showing her—someone who sat in the darkness wallowing in self-pity and waiting to rot—another way to live.

At first, An Rongrong just liked Shen Lishu’s dramas. She watched Towards the Sun countless times, seeing how the university student she played broke through the soil to be reborn and grow toward the light.

It was that resilient, upright, and cheerful spirit that dispelled the haze over the movie and allowed An Rongrong to reach her hand out from the quagmire.

Later, An Rongrong watched every one of Shen Lishu’s dramas. As she watched more, she naturally began to pay attention to Shen Lishu as a person.

Then she discovered that the Goddess was only seventeen when she filmed Towards the Sun. When she was picked by Director Mao for the lead role, she was also carrying immense pressure and the voices of countless people predicting her failure.

In that moment, An Rongrong found a sense of belonging in Shen Lishu and began to follow in her footsteps, step by step.

She had to go to the high school the Goddess went to; she had to attend the university the Goddess attended!

An Rongrong collected every bit of information about Shen Lishu, big or small, watched every one of her movies, and even found every possible way to go to the airport to see her.

Unknowingly, An Rongrong met many people who liked Shen Lishu and made many friends through these fan activities. Slowly, she became cheerful and optimistic, walking a completely different life path than the one she started on.

Shen Lishu was like the brightest star in the night sky; as long as she followed her, she would never lose her way.

Before entering the industry, An Rongrong had also wondered if she was just using Shen Lishu as a spiritual crutch—that perhaps the Goddess in real life wasn’t as beautiful as she appeared on screen.

Until she heard she was going to star in a Yuri drama. An Rongrong didn’t hesitate to pull strings to act alongside her.

Originally, being here was enough; she shouldn’t have asked for more. But as they interacted, An Rongrong found that Shen Lishu was too good—even better than she was on screen.

She was a bit loath to let go.

An Rongrong hugged her shins with one arm, resting her chin on her knees, while using her other hand to click on those GIFs again.

The man in the pictures looked to be in his thirties, also wearing a black baseball cap. Because the paparazzi’s shots were very clear, his face was visible in Image 2.

The marketing accounts had already dug up the man’s name and even provided his professional headshots.

The man was Jiang Yi, thirty-two years old. He had acted in countless “Overbearing CEO falls for me” idol dramas and had a new show coming out soon.

For some reason, looking at Jiang Yi’s photo, An Rongrong felt that the “greasy” vibe of a middle-aged man was practically oozing from the image, making her feel instinctively disgusted.

This couldn’t be the Goddess’s taste. How could this “dog man” be the Goddess’s type?!

An Rongrong blinked, feeling a bit relieved.

She clicked into the comment section and found that everyone thought the same as her. Even passing fans felt the man was a giant oil field who didn’t deserve the beauty at all.

Shen Lishu’s fans had already started controlling the comments, uniformly hoping everyone would focus on the Goddess’s work and not believe or spread rumors.

Reasonably speaking, given Shen Lishu’s past style, her studio should have issued a clarification immediately.

But this topic had been at the top of the hot search for ten minutes now, and there was zero movement from Shen Lishu’s side.

It couldn’t be real!

An Rongrong’s heart, which had just settled back into her stomach, twisted together again. Especially when she saw that the man’s side had started buying marketing to push their “CP chemistry,” An Rongrong was so angry she wanted to rush in and bite him!

“The Goddess is almost thirty, it’s normal to date!”

You dog, the Beauty’s business is none of your concern!

Besides, even if the Goddess did date, she wouldn’t pick a disgusting thing like him!

Further down, some people were saying that Shen Lishu’s upcoming Republic-era drama was likely to flop, and that she was now falling from her pedestal to use the “traffic star” method of faking scandals to gain heat.

An Rongrong gathered her long hair hanging down her back into a casual bun, put on her “vest” (alias), and joined the front lines of the battle with the “Book” fans!

Before filming, An Rongrong had at least reached the level of a “fan leader”; her combat power was nothing to scoff at!

“Beep——”

The slight sound of a keycard unlocking a door.

Shen Lishu, living next door, seemed to be back!

An Rongrong’s eyes lit up. She sprang up from the floor and, without even having time to put on her slippers, opened the door to look outside.

Shen Lishu was carrying a round, black bag. She was looking down to open her door when she heard the noise next door and turned to look at An Rongrong.

“Have you eaten?” Shen Lishu asked her.

“No.” I’m full from anger.

An Rongrong gripped the doorframe with her fingers, looking at Shen Lishu with longing eyes. She first turned to look toward the elevator; seeing no one else there, she fixed her gaze on Shen Lishu.

The Goddess was in her private clothes, wearing a black baseball cap. Her long, wavy hair was draped over her back. She wore a loose, hip-length T-shirt paired with black casual knee-length shorts and white sneakers. She wasn’t even wearing a mask or sunglasses; she was so casual she didn’t look like a top-tier star at all.

No wonder she was recognized instantly.

“Then come over and eat some watermelon,” Shen Lishu lifted the black bag to show her. “The assistant director said there’s a fruit shop nearby with very sweet fruit.”

So after wrapping up, she went out for a run and couldn’t resist buying a watermelon and some lychees.

Shen Lishu opened the door and invited An Rongrong in. “I can’t finish it all myself; I’ll give you half.”

An Rongrong immediately followed her like a little puppy. Earlier, she had been racking her brains for a way to get into Shen Lishu’s room, but now that she was in, she couldn’t feel happy at all.

An Rongrong watched Shen Lishu calmly and leisurely go to wash the watermelon. She followed right behind her like she was itching all over, wanting to ask what was going on with the hot search but not knowing how to start.

The matter fermented and expanded in her heart. An Rongrong’s fingers twisted together, her face turning red from the strain.

How does the Goddess still have the heart to eat “melon” (fruit) when her own “melon” (scandal) is hanging on Weibo!

Seeing her unbothered attitude, An Rongrong’s heart sank bit by bit, and she began to suspect it might be true.

“Lishu-jie,” An Rongrong took a deep breath and spoke up, bracing herself. “Have you looked at your phone?”

“Looked at my phone?” Shen Lishu brought a knife over. She first sliced a bit of melon rind to wipe the blade, then looked up at An Rongrong. “No.”

Seeing that An Rongrong’s expression was off, Shen Lishu suspiciously put the knife down and pulled her phone out of her pocket. “The melon was too heavy, and I bought lychees too. I didn’t have a hand to hold my phone.”

An Rongrong instantly let out a sigh of relief. her heart fell back into her stomach with a thump, and her tensed nerves relaxed. “Quickly, look at the hot search.”

Hot search?

Shen Lishu had a new drama coming out soon and thought it was normal to be on the hot search—likely the studio coordinating with the crew for promotion.

She thought it was work; she never imagined it was a scandal!

Looking at those GIFs, Shen Lishu was actually moved to laughter by the sheer anger.

Her red lips hooked slightly. With one hand, she pulled off her baseball cap and tossed it on the table, then walked to the side, leaning against the sofa with one arm crossed while she made a call.

An Rongrong naturally took over the task of cutting the melon, ears perked up to eavesdrop while she sliced.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t have time to check my phone, otherwise I wouldn’t have let him leech off my heat.” Shen Lishu’s tone was cold. “Clarify immediately. Don’t give him any face. If he apologizes, refuse to accept it directly.”

Since he had the guts to tie himself to her for a scandal, he should be prepared to be slapped in the face.

The person on the other end said something unknown. Shen Lishu gave a lazy “Mm” in agreement and ended the call.

Shen Lishu tossed her phone onto the sofa and walked toward An Rongrong. “Thanks to your reminder, otherwise I wouldn’t have thought to check my phone.”

Her phone was always on silent when she was filming. Today, Xiao Zhang had something to do, so Shen Lishu let her go back early and forgot to turn the sound back on. Consequently, the studio couldn’t reach her no matter how they tried, and they didn’t want to bypass her to clarify directly. This delay had allowed that guy to leech off her heat for quite a while.

Hearing the clarification from the source, An Rongrong’s mood soared instantly. Like a loyal lackey, she deseeded and cubed the watermelon, poked them with toothpicks, placed them in a crystal fruit bowl, and presented it to Shen Lishu with both hands. “Have some ‘melon’ to cool your anger.”

The two sat on the sofa eating watermelon. An Rongrong habitually sat cross-legged on the floor, facing Shen Lishu.

“It’s the first time I’ve been calculated against like this. The guy has quite the nerve.” Shen Lishu scrolled through her phone with one hand, then looked up at the well-behaved An Rongrong across from her. “Do you still remember this person?”

She clicked on a picture of Jiang Yi and held her phone screen in front of An Rongrong. “The one at the Su Jiang wine tasting event who was harassing you and got a face full of red wine from me.”

Jiang Yi had somehow found out where Shen Lishu was staying and picked the right moment to manufacture a “chance encounter.”

When Shen Lishu bumped into him while coming back with the fruit, she was momentarily stunned. She lazily lifted her eyelids to look at him, her lips curling in mockery. “Are you looking for me to pay for your clothes?”

“I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare,” Jiang Yi said. “I’m here to apologize to you, and to that actress.”

Apologizing only now?

Shen Lishu disdainfully moved to walk away. Jiang Yi followed her, and at one point tried to reach out to help her carry the melon, but she stopped him with a single glance.

That was the moment in Image 2 where the man looked like he was reaching out to hug her.

Jiang Yi clearly already knew where Shen Lishu was staying. To avoid being photographed, they didn’t talk outside and entered the hotel lobby together.

At the time, Jiang Yi’s apology seemed very sincere. Shen Lishu didn’t want to “strike a smiling face,” so she just gave him a few lukewarm warnings. They didn’t chat long before she went to wait for the elevator.

As it turned out, Jiang Yi hadn’t left then but had dawdled in the hotel, creating the illusion that they were staying together.

From beginning to end, this was a long-premeditated calculation—from “encountering” Shen Lishu, to manufactured ambiguous movements like trying to carry her melon, to lingering in the hotel.

He had already contacted paparazzi to wait at the spot and knew Shen Lishu would definitely clarify. That was why he harassed her, using the time he spoke to her in the lobby to quickly leech off as much heat as possible.

Jiang Yi had thought it through: after Shen Lishu denied the relationship, he would follow suit and clarify, using the momentum to promote the new dramas both of them were releasing.

To him, it wasn’t a bad thing. Even if she was angry afterward, he had already left a bad impression at the wine event; this was just making it slightly worse.

Shen Lishu was used to such low-brow “clout-chasing” methods, but An Rongrong was indignant on her behalf. She grabbed her phone, as furious as a little lion with its fur standing on end. “I’m going to go scold him!”

Her scolding earlier had been too polite. Someone with skin that thick and methods that dirty deserved her full “fragrance” (colorful language).

How could there be such a disgusting person!

An Rongrong bit her toothpick, her thumbs flying as she edited a small essay to flame Jiang Yi.

After she sent it, she saw that the top hot search was now the Shen Lishu Studio’s denial.

The text was simple and brutal, pointing out that Jiang Yi was clout-chasing and giving him absolutely zero face.

If Shen Lishu hadn’t just messaged them saying not to involve An Rongrong, the studio would have loved to expose Jiang Yi’s sexual harassment of female stars and make him go completely “black”!

The second spot on the list was Jiang Yi’s clarification, but unfortunately, the comments were a sea of people calling him “thick-faced” for clout-chasing. The positive comments he bought to suppress the hate were pushed out of the top ten.

Deserving this backlash was entirely on Jiang Yi.

…

In a private apartment room in Shanghai—

“My idea was pretty good, wasn’t it? Look how much heat I have now. They say Best Actress Shen covers the sky with one hand in this circle, but from what I see, that’s all she’s got.” Jiang Yi opened a can of beer to celebrate, speaking dismissively to his manager beside him. “I don’t know where those rumors came from.”

Jiang Yi felt that “black heat” (notoriety) was still heat. No matter what, he had the traffic, and the promotional effect was achieved.

The manager originally nodded in agreement until he received a phone call. His face changed instantly.

He looked at Jiang Yi, who was still drinking beer and scrolling through the hot search, then nodded slowly and stiffly before hanging up.

Seeing his manager’s odd expression, Jiang Yi asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t realize how serious the problem could be and even joked, “Best Actress Shen wouldn’t send me a lawyer’s letter just for this bit of clout-chasing, would she?”

Everyone in the circle knew lawyer’s letters were just for intimidation; they were useless.

Jiang Yi didn’t believe Shen Lishu would risk her reputation to go to court over this. He could afford to be shameless, but Best Actress Shen couldn’t.

The manager shook his head, gripping his phone, and said to Jiang Yi with a pale face, “Your drama is gone.”

What was gone?

Jiang Yi didn’t react for a second. He stared straight at the manager while holding his beer can, his heart turning cold. “What did you say is gone?”

“The drama. Your drama.” The manager was breathing heavily with anger. He stood up and cursed at Jiang Yi. “Good idea? Good my ass! Why did you have to provoke her! Now the drama you worked so hard to finish is gone.”

Meeting Jiang Yi’s incredulous expression, he took a deep breath and said, “The production side just called. They said the drama was suddenly blocked for no reason and can’t pass the review.”

Whose handiwork could this be? It could only be Shen Lishu’s. One moment she reposted his clarification and apology saying, “Learn to be a person before you film, cherish what you have,” and the next moment Jiang Yi’s drama was blocked.

“I told you not to provoke her, but you didn’t listen, you didn’t listen.” The manager angrily kicked an empty beer can on the floor. “Now look. Happy now?”

Shen Lishu didn’t care for sending lawyer’s letters; she dealt her blows directly to the face. The more someone cared about something, the more she wanted them to lose it.

Didn’t Jiang Yi clout-chase her to promote his new drama?

Then Shen Lishu would ensure his drama never even got the chance to air.

In hotel room 1420, Shen Lishu took a bite of watermelon and glanced down at her chat window. Seeing that the matter was settled, she sneered and tossed her phone on the table. “If he has the guts to do it, he has to have the courage to bear the consequences.”

An Rongrong looked at Shen Lishu sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, her eyes sparkling. Her heart skipped a beat.

The Goddess’s aura was 2.8 meters tall!