I Won Over My Best Friend’s Idol - Chapter 14

While the other two teams were grinding away to make money, the atmosphere over on Xiao Hong’s side had plummeted to absolute zero. She had tried to have another heart-to-heart with Niu Niuniu, but the outcome was completely predictable the bratty junior ended up pointing a finger right in her elder’s face, screaming a stream of abuse.

The insults were nothing more than a rehash of the toxic gossip her mother constantly parroted at home: You’re getting up there in age and still haven’t managed to get married. Aside from singing, you’re utterly useless.

Pushed to her absolute limit, Xiao Hong finally ordered the camera crew to shut off their equipment. She walked away with Xiao Wu, leaving a few staff members behind to keep an eye on Niu Niuniu. She made it clear they wouldn’t look for her again until she had completely sobered up and cleared her head.

Luckily, the hotel manager had offered to host the entire production crew and cast for dinner. It saved them a massive chunk of their remaining budget. Even the staff got a free meal out of it…though director Xiao Wu had to pay for their portion out of pocket, so their spread was nowhere near as luxurious as what the main guests were having.

By the time Xiao Hong arrived at the dining hall, the other two teams were already seated. Seeing her walk in entirely alone, Miao Ke couldn’t help but look confused.

“Sister Hong, where’s your partner?” Miao Ke asked out of pure curiosity, completely devoid of malice.

Looking at her, Xiao Hong couldn’t help but secretly envy Liang Sihan for landing such an easygoing teammate. It seemed she was the only one stuck with a total nightmare.

“She’s feeling a bit under the weather,” Xiao Hong lied smoothly, smoothing over the tension. “We can just go ahead and start eating. Actually, we all owe a huge thanks to Little Kong. If it weren’t for her, we might not even have a roof over our heads tonight, let alone food. Xiao Wu is way too ruthless…he doesn’t hesitate to scam even his oldest friends.”

She deftly steered the conversation away from Niu Niuniu, and Miao Ke, sensing the vibe, didn’t press further.

“Wait a second, Xiao Wu,” Liang Sihan piped up, jumping on the bandwagon to tease the director. “Why are you sitting here eating with us? The manager explicitly said he was covering dinner for the guests. What does that have to do with you?”

As an old friend of the director, Liang Sihan didn’t hold back. “It’s bad enough you wouldn’t fund our meals, but now you’re freeloading on our freebie? Do you really think you can survive in this industry with skin that thick?”

“Hey, we’re all friends here, don’t sweat the small stuff!” Xiao Wu laughed it off, raising his glass. “Let’s all raise a toast to thank Zheng Yi for gracing our show with his presence, and to Sister Kong for using her incredible charms to snag us this lavish feast! And, of course, a huge thank you to the manager for his amazing generosity!”

Strictly speaking, Xiao Wu was actually the youngest in their group, aside from Niu Niuniu; even Miao Ke was six months older than him. To be able to spearhead his own variety show at such a young age…and successfully pull in a massive A-list star like Zheng Yi…proved that as long as he stayed focused, his future in showbiz would be blindingly bright.

The group clapped and laughed, draining their glasses as they waited for the main courses to hit the table.

Meanwhile, the forgotten Niu Niuniu hadn’t spent a single second reflecting on her behavior. After calling her mother to cry and complain, she still felt a suffocating rage burning inside her. When she overheard the crew mentioning that everyone else was currently enjoying a massive feast together…completely excluding her…her resentment boiled over.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, she opened Weibo on her phone and leaked a juicy piece of information: Zheng Yi is currently filming a reality show with his secret girlfriend.

She didn’t just stop there; she tagged several major entertainment gossip accounts and dropped a few hundred bucks to buy internet water armies…fake bot accounts…to boost the post’s engagement.

The money she used was a secret stash of cash her mother had slipped her, strictly warning her not to let Xiao Hong find out. Her mother had worried that if Xiao Hong knew she had money, she would stop footing the bill for her food, clothes, and travel.

To ensure maximum chaos, Niu Niuniu even dropped the exact location pin of the hotel they were dining at. She knew it wouldn’t take long for the storm to hit.

“Let’s see you try to bully me now. If you won’t let me eat, I won’t let you eat in peace either!” she muttered under her breath.

The nearby staff member didn’t quite catch what she said, but they didn’t care enough to ask. The crew had their own group chat, and based on the frantic texts flying back and forth, it was universally agreed that out of all the celebrities on this trip, this little princess was by far the biggest nightmare.

Even a superstar like Zheng Yi had spent his afternoon doing backbreaking manual labor without a single complaint, yet all she could do was throw tantrums. Getting dumped by her own aunt was entirely her own doing.

Feeling a surge of twisted satisfaction from her petty revenge, Niu Niuniu’s mood suddenly lifted. “I’m hungry! Go find me something to eat!” she demanded. Because she couldn’t use her cash without giving away her secret stash, she expected the staff to buy it for her. After all, weren’t these people just glorified servants hired to do her bidding?

“You—” One of the younger staff members snapped, ready to finally put her in her place, but an older colleague quickly grabbed their arm and pulled them back.

“She’s still technically a guest on the show. There’s no point risking your job over her. Just go grab her some cheap fast food, anything to fill her stomach and shut her up.”

Back in the dining hall, the atmosphere was lively. “Xiao Wu, do you even remember the name of our show?” Xiao Hong asked, having had a few drinks.

People who are upset tend to get drunk faster, and though she was tipsy, she still kept the cameras in mind. A variety show needed good footage; watching Kong Yinmeng and Miao Ke quietly stuff their faces wasn’t going to make good TV.

“Our show is called In Search of Food’s Light. When I first heard it, I thought it was a food documentary. How come after a whole day of filming, this dinner is the only thing that actually features good food? And irony of ironies, it’s a meal we had to freeload! You seriously need to consider changing the title.”

Zheng Yi had burned an insane amount of energy during the day, but his rigorous idol training kept his discipline intact. He didn’t let himself overeat, stopping the moment his stomach felt comfortably full…leaving him at about sixty percent capacity.

Suddenly, a loud, obnoxious ringtone pierced the air.

“That idiot is calling again… That idiot is calling again…”

It was the custom ringtone Kong Yinmeng had set specifically for her best friend, Lu Fangcao. As the entire table turned to look at her, Yinmeng flushed with embarrassment.

“Sorry, it’s a private call. I need to step out for a minute.” She gestured toward the door, wanting to get away from the cameras. Lu Fangcao was notorious for saying the most unhinged things, and if any of her wild rants accidentally made it into the final broadcast, it would be an absolute PR disaster.

As she hurried out to find a quiet spot, the call dropped, but before she could breathe a sigh of relief, the phone vibrated violently again. Fangcao was calling back. She sounded frantic.

“Jian-jie! I know you’re in the middle of filming, but why on earth did you take so long to pick up?!” Yinmeng had just stepped out onto the hotel’s front steps, intending to sit down for a casual chat, when Fangcao’s next words hit her like a lightning bolt.

“Are you guys eating at the Donghai Hotel right now? Internal sources say a massive wave of crazed fans is swarming your location as we speak! You need to pack up and run right now. There’s a viral post blowing up on Weibo claiming Zheng Yi is filming a show with his secret girlfriend. I’m 99% sure they’re talking about you! You need to get out of there for your own safety!”

Fangcao delivered the warning at breakneck speed, then paused, met with dead silence. “Hello? Say something! Did you freeze up? Grab your people and run! Normal fans are one thing, you can just sign some autographs, but if the sasaengs…the hardcore stalkers…get there, you guys are finished!”

“Uh… oh! Okay! I’ll go warn them right now!” Yinmeng’s brain scrambled to process the information. They were about to be ambushed.

Right at that moment, she looked up and saw several black vans swinging wildly into the hotel parking lot. Panic seizing her chest, she turned on her heel and bolted back inside. By the time she burst into the dining room, she was panting heavily, her face pale.

“Little Kong, what happened? Why are you running like you’ve seen a ghost?” Liang Sihan asked, pouring a glass of water to hand to her.

She pushed the glass away, catching her breath. “Turn off the cameras! Everyone, pack up your gear right now! I just got a call from a friend…someone leaked our filming schedule. A massive crowd of fans is heading this way. We have to leave immediately, especially you, Zheng Yi. They are coming for you!”

Director Xiao Wu shot out of his chair like a rocket. “What are you all standing around for?! Move, move, move!”

Dealing with fans during the day was manageable…they could set up barriers and talk to them. But it was late at night. If an unruly crowd caused a stampede or an accident, his directorial career would be over before it even started.

The room erupted into controlled chaos. Yinmeng acted on pure instinct. She scanned the room, spotted a crew member wearing a heavy jacket and a baseball cap, and immediately borrowed them, tossing them onto Zheng Yi to mask his high-profile face.

“The crew can handle the crowd, but the three of us need to slip away. Miao Ke, you’re with us. We’ll find a low-key place to stay the night. Brother Liang, you take Sister Hong and split up in a different direction. We’ll text you the hotel details once we’re safe!”

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Zheng Yi with one hand and Miao Ke with the other, dragging them toward the back of the hotel. She knew kitchens always had a rear service exit for ingredient deliveries…that was their best shot.

In the heat of the moment, she completely forgot her usual rule of only pulling people by their sleeves. Her fingers wrapped firmly around Zheng Yi’s bare hand. He glanced down at their intertwined fingers, a tiny flicker of annoyance crossing his mind…not because she was holding his hand, but because her other hand was holding Miao Ke’s just as tightly.

“Chef Liu, we’re slipping out the back! If anyone asks, you never saw us! Next time I’m in C City, I’ll come visit you again!” Yinmeng yelled over her shoulder.

The head chef, who was busy tossing a wok, looked up just in time to see the trio blur past him and vanish out the door like a gust of wind.

The alley behind the kitchen was lined with massive green dumpsters, throwing off a distinctly unpleasant odor, but none of them had the luxury to care. Right now, every step counted.

Miao Ke, who had been dragged along completely bewildered, finally caught her breath as the cool night air hit her face. “Sister Kong, why are we running so hard? If the fans find us, can’t Zheng-ge just take a few photos, sign some autographs, and diffuse the situation?”

“It’s not that simple,” Yinmeng explained, her pace quickening. “Check the hot searches on Weibo. I bet that rumor is trending near the top by now. The people coming aren’t just casual fans; they’re driven by a massive piece of gossip. Their emotions are going to be running dangerously high. If we get cornered, we won’t be able to escape tonight.”

They had already endured a grueling day of physical labor. Dealing with an angry, demanding crowd of fans at midnight would break them. Even if she could handle the stress, Zheng Yi couldn’t.

As she held his hand, she felt something uneven against his skin. Shifting her grip slightly, she realized his palms were covered in raw, raised blisters. A pampered superstar who had likely never lifted a heavy object in his life had spent hours moving concrete blocks today. If his hands looked like this, his feet were probably in worse shape.

A wave of intense guilt washed over her. If she had known, she would have pushed harder to find him a lighter task.

“Oh my god, look at this!” Miao Ke cried out, staring at her phone as she kept up with their brisk walk. “Someone actually posted that Zheng-ge brought his girlfriend to film the show! Wait… are they talking about you?” Miao Ke looked up, her eyes darting between the two of them. In the dim light of the streetlamps, she had to admit…they looked incredibly striking standing next to each other.

Miao Ke glanced around. The alleyway was empty, leaving just the three of them. She suddenly felt like a massive, blinding neon sign standing right in the middle of a private moment.

“You’re letting your imagination run wild,” Yinmeng scoffed, pulling them around a corner. “Do we look anything like a couple? I’m just a poor, unfortunate soul he dragged along to suffer on this show. Look, there’s a small motel over there. Let’s crash there for the night. Zheng-ge… can you handle a budget motel?”

Yinmeng fully expected him to turn his nose up at it, which would give her the perfect excuse to send him off to a nicer, hidden hotel while she and Miao Ke shared a room.

To her utter surprise, Zheng Yi simply nodded.

“It’s fine,” he murmured, his voice laced with exhaustion. “As long as there’s a bed and a shower, I don’t care.” He was running on empty. After a full day of labor and a quick meal, his body was screaming for a hot shower and deep sleep.

The motel exterior looked weathered and faded, but the lobby inside was spotlessly clean. The night receptionist was an older man who clearly didn’t keep up with pop culture or celebrity gossip, so he didn’t even blink when Zheng Yi walked in.

After successfully booking two adjacent rooms, Yinmeng escorted Miao Ke and Zheng Yi upstairs. Once they were settled, she excused herself, telling Miao Ke she needed to run a quick errand.

Stepping back out into the night, she sprinted to a nearby 24-hour pharmacy, quickly purchasing cotton swabs and a bottle of iodine antiseptic. On her way back, she ducked into a convenience store to grab a pack of fresh, soft towels before racing back up the motel stairs.

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