The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 28

With the collective efforts of everyone, S Group’s new album production progressed smoothly. Once the lyrics and melodies for each song were finalized, recording sessions began. The main dancers then gathered with their instructors to discuss the finer details of the choreography. After all, as a girl group, performances required both singing and dancing. The latter being an indispensable soul of their stage presence.

The concert in Hangzhou was scheduled for early April, just before the Qingming Festival. By late March, their focus would shift from album production to stage rehearsals. The setlist for the Hangzhou performance would also undergo appropriate adjustments to ensure each show had its own unique design.

Ever since Ren Jiao and Tan Jiajia were photographed by paparazzi having dinner with Javen, Huaying Entertainment had begun preliminary promotions for S Group’s new album. The first step was an official announcement that the album’s producer was Javen, the renowned hitmaker from Star Records, and that the album would be jointly released by Star and Huaying.

This announcement sparked a wave of attention. Those who had previously spread rumors about Javen taking Ren Jiao and Tan Jiajia for “under-the-table dealings” were swiftly proven wrong. The smarter ones quietly deleted their posts and went silent, while the stubborn few continued to argue.

“Even if they announced a collaboration, it doesn’t prove anything. If anything, the fact that they’re working together makes it even more likely, no? Someone as big as Javen producing an album for an idol girl group? Who’d believe that without them offering something in return?”

Such comments weren’t rare, though they were drowned out by the overwhelming support of fans and casual observers. But being drowned out didn’t mean they went unnoticed. Cen Shu and Javen both saw them, and Ji Qingshi had also come across a few.

The first two chose to handle the matter silently through legal means, while Ji Qingshi, infuriated, took to the internet to argue with the trolls. But she was terrible at verbal sparring, resorting to copying and pasting the same few phrases over and over, making her look more like a bot than an actual fan.

The trolls, seeing an account that seemed not only like a throwaway but also automated, weren’t intimidated in the slightest. Instead, they mocked her outright: “What’s going on? Can’t S Group afford decent bots? This no-name account just keeps spamming the same nonsense!”

Not only did they show no remorse, they even ridiculed her for being a bot. Ji Qingshi was livid.

But anger aside, she had no idea what to do. After stewing for a while, she finally went to ask An’an for advice.

An’an had been a fan of Ren Jiao since S Group’s debut and had far more experience in fandom than Ji Qingshi. She was also much calmer about these things.

“Vice-captain, just ignore these people. I’ll screenshot this and pass it to the fan club. They’ll forward it to the company for handling.”

Ji Qingshi’s anger subsided a little, but seeing how composed An’an was, she couldn’t help but ask, “You’re her fan too, how are you not mad?”

An’an replied: “Oh, I am! When I was a new fan, I’d get so furious seeing these comments that my eyes would turn red, and I’d rush to argue with them! But after a while, there were just too many incidents like this. No matter how fast we debunked rumors, the lies always spread faster. You know what they say—’It takes a mouth to spread a rumor, but legs to chase it down.’ Most casual spectators are more interested in sensational gossip anyway. When we try to correct them, they just brush us off with, ‘Yeah, yeah, we get it. Can’t fans just chill? It’s not that serious.'”

An’An: “Our team is really busy with work, so I don’t actually have much time to follow celebrities. But many of the fans are students with plenty of free time, and they often spend a lot of energy debunking rumors online, only to see minimal results. Behind the anonymity of the internet, many people think spreading rumors comes at little cost. They just blurt things out without a second thought. As someone in our line of work, you know all too well how expensive it is to investigate online defamation. Many companies and individuals can’t be bothered to go through the process. Take Jiaojiao’s former company, for example.”

Ji Qingshi fell silent. The inaction of the former company had emboldened the haters. They saw the girls of S-Group as easy targets, daring to sling all kinds of mud at them. Some even took the company’s silence as implicit confirmation—”If neither the company nor the girls themselves are speaking up, those rumors must be true. Otherwise, why wouldn’t they clarify?”

Fans had lashed out at Zenith Entertainment more than once, but no one paid them any attention. The slapdash company hadn’t even assigned S-Group a fan relations assistant, let alone a proper team. There was no hope for anything else.

That S-Group had managed to become so popular under these circumstances was partly due to their top-tier skills, but luck had certainly played a role too.

Ji: “Have you fans just gotten used to the hate by now?”

An’An: “Used to it, yes. The reason fans aren’t as angry anymore is that the new company actually cares. The team Huaying assigned includes a fan liaison. If fans find people spreading rumors, they collect evidence and pass it to the fan club, which then forwards it to the company for action. Ever since Huaying took over, those old rumors have become much harder to find online. Sure, people still bring them up occasionally, but it’s nothing like the free-for-all defamation of the past.”

Reading An’An’s words, Ji Qingshi pressed her lips together. She hadn’t known Ren Jiao for long before they signed with Huaying, and when she searched mainstream platforms, she really hadn’t seen much of the old rumors but from the fragments she did come across, she could piece together some of it.

At first, it hadn’t bothered her much. But now that she harbored unspoken feelings for Ren Jiao, she naturally despised those rumor-mongers with a vengeance.

So Ji Qingshi sent An’An the accounts of a few particularly active haters: “I don’t know what the fan club is. Can you pass this to them for me?”

An’An: “? Lieutenant, since when do you have so much free time? Are you seriously getting into fandom now?”

Ji: “No, just helping a friend. It’s no trouble.”

She said it casually, and An’An didn’t think much of it. She opened Weibo and privately messaged the evidence Ji Qingshi had sent to the group’s fan club.

Before the end-of-month training for the concert preparations began, Ji Qingshi received word from the task force that she needed to return for a meeting. The venue was at the provincial headquarters. She checked with Ren Jiao, who happened to be free, so she tagged along.

While Ji Qingshi attended the meeting, Ren Jiao waited in the reception area as family. To avoid any trouble, she went bare-faced and wore a mask; hard to recognize unless someone looked closely. Besides, this was the provincial headquarters, and she was with Ji Qingshi, so no one paid her much attention.

Ji Qingshi usually worked at the SWAT base and rarely came to the provincial headquarters, so few people knew her, and even fewer cared about who she brought as family.

The meeting didn’t last long, wrapping up in just over an hour. When Ji Qingshi came to the reception room to find Ren Jiao, Qi Xuesong was by her side.

They were all familiar with each other by now, so Ren Jiao didn’t wear her mask in front of Qi Xuesong and greeted her cheerfully, “Hello, Captain Qi.”

“Miss Ren.” Qi Xuesong nodded at her, the corners of her lips lifting slightly in a faint smile.

Ren Jiao studied Qi Xuesong for a moment. This time, there was something different about her demeanor compared to their last meeting. Her exhaustion was evident, and a subdued melancholy lingered in her eyes. Ren Jiao wasn’t entirely sure what had happened to her over the past two months, but it was likely due to the case being particularly challenging.

Ji Qingshi stepped closer to Ren Jiao and said in a low voice, “The head of the task force wants to meet with you later. Don’t be nervous, just answer whatever he asks if you know, and if you don’t, say so honestly.”

Ren Jiao blinked in surprise. “Meet me? But I’ve already handed over all the evidence I had to you through Ruan Lixuan.”

Ji Qingshi smiled at her, reaching out to gently stroke her long hair. “There might still be some details to clarify. I’m not entirely sure either, but don’t worry. Just say what you know.”

Qi Xuesong observed their interaction, a flicker of surprise crossing her eyes. From what she remembered of their last meeting, the atmosphere between these two hadn’t been like this. As someone who had been through it herself and was now an outsider, Qi Xuesong could tell at a glance that something was off. The tone and expression Ji Qingshi had just used were far more tender than Qi Xuesong had ever imagined possible.

And Ren Jiao was no exception. The way she looked at Ji Qingshi could hardly be called “normal.”

The dynamic between them uncontrollably reminded Qi Xuesong of herself. Back when she and her girlfriend were in their ambiguous phase, it had been much the same. Though her girlfriend had been slow to realize it. If Qi Xuesong hadn’t spoken up, she would’ve remained clueless!

As for these two, who knew if they were feigning ignorance while fully aware?

Before long, Du Tianrui, the head of the task force, arrived to meet Ren Jiao. Qi Xuesong and Ji Qingshi stepped out of the reception room to wait outside.

At first, the two stood in silence, until Ji Qingshi, feeling restless, broke it. “Why haven’t I seen Professor Qin today?”

It was a full task force meeting, and everyone from Qi Xuesong’s special investigation team was present except for her girlfriend, Qin Sheng. Ji Qingshi found it hard to believe. The two were usually inseparable, practically glued at the hip. Qin Sheng’s sudden absence was downright unsettling.

Ji Qingshi had only asked casually, making small talk, but Qi Xuesong’s expression stiffened instantly, making Ji Qingshi wonder if she’d said something wrong.

No way! Did they break up?

The suspicion rose in her mind, but before she could ask or say anything else, Qi Xuesong spoke first. “She had some family matters to attend to, personal business.”

That was the official line Qi Xuesong gave everyone.

Personal business, huh…

Ji Qingshi rubbed her chin, piecing together a rough guess but keeping it to herself. Though she often came across as easygoing, she wasn’t foolish. After all, she was the deputy captain of the SWAT sniper unit. She could read between the lines and sense there was more to it.

Some things weren’t meant to be pried into, and Ji Qingshi knew better than to push.

But since the conversation had already started, and Qi Xuesong already restless from longing, felt a pang of irritation at having her sore spot poked, she decided to return the favor.

“Do you have feelings for Miss Ren?”

“Pfft, cough cough…!” Ji Qingshi had just taken a sip of water when Qi Xuesong’s remark made her spit it all out in shock.

Qi Xuesong calmly observed her, watching as her wheat-colored skin flushed a deep purple, and an inexplicable sense of vengeful satisfaction rose in her heart.

“I don’t talk nonsense!” Ji Qingshi immediately denied it.

Qi Xuesong raised an eyebrow and lowered her voice. “I’ve been there, I wouldn’t mistake it. Deputy Ji, having a crush isn’t anything to be ashamed of.”

Ji Qingshi pointed at her, unable to form a complete sentence. “You, you, you…!”

As someone who had been through it all, Qi Xuesong felt a surge of triumph. Though she was currently suffering the pangs of longing herself, at least she and her lover were already deeply connected. They were a pair who would face life and death together. It was nothing like Ji Qingshi, who didn’t even dare admit her crush, let alone realize the other person might feel the same way.

After stammering “you” for what felt like forever, Ji Qingshi finally slumped back into her chair, deflated. “Maybe… I guess I do like her.”