The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 35

Ren Jiao didn’t know when Ji Qingshi had left. She wasn’t even sure how she had ended up back in her bedroom. By the time she realized it, Ji Qingshi had already moved out of her home.

Where would he go after leaving?

It wasn’t until her mind, which had stalled all night, finally started working again that Ren Jiao remembered the task wasn’t complete. He must have gone back to live downstairs.

Her gaze fell on the bouquet of roses placed beside the sofa, and a sudden pang of sourness surged through her nose. Step by step, she walked over, crouched down, and gently, reverently picked up the flowers. Ji Qingshi was gone, but he had left the roses behind. Ren Jiao didn’t know what that meant, she only knew her heart felt hollow.

When Ji Qingshi confessed last night, her mind had been a muddled mess, her usually clear thoughts tangled into chaos. Looking back at herself now, she hadn’t had time to process anything. His sudden confession had struck her too hard, leaving her unsure how to react. She could only refuse instinctively.

Yes, she had refused. She should refuse.

This was something she had rehearsed countless times in her heart. She wasn’t worthy of him. She shouldn’t taint his purity and clarity with her presence.

God knew how much it had hurt when she repeated the words “I’m sorry” last night.

No one understood that pain better than she did. It was worse than having her heart ripped out.

Now, after a night had passed, she discovered Ji Qingshi had moved out, and the pain was even worse than before. The reality of loss lay before her. The empty living room and the vacant guest room screamed that she had rejected and lost the person she loved.

Holding the roses tightly in her arms, Ren Jiao admitted she wanted to chase after him downstairs. The impulse grew even stronger now that she truly felt the sting of loss.

But her reason tugged at her emotions, telling her to stay put at home, not to chase after him, not to entangle herself in this relationship any further.

Think about what happened back then with Mom…

Clutching the roses, Ren Jiao curled up in the corner of the sofa, her mind a whirlwind of chaotic images overlapping and tangling together, making her head throb.

One moment, it was the rampant slander and malicious rumors online.

The next, it was the events leading up to her mother’s car accident.

“Have you seen all the stuff online about that Ren family girl? Is any of it true?”

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, right? I doubt it’s fake.”

“If it’s fake, why hasn’t she cleared it up? Staying silent is basically admitting it!”

“Tsk, tsk. Really, though. Her and her mom had it so rough, and now this girl’s gone off the rails at such a young age!”

Back then, the neighbors loved gathering to gossip, and it was even more entertaining when the subject of their gossip lived right next door. Men and women, young and old. They all had something to say, always whispering behind others’ backs. The worst part? They didn’t even care if the person they were talking about could hear them.

Ren Xiuxian had snapped. She had argued fiercely with them.

The gossiping neighbors, humiliated and angry, had thrown the online rumors right in Ren Xiuxian’s face, mocking her while putting on a sanctimonious act. They pretended to be well-meaning, advising her to discipline her daughter properly before it was too late to stop her from straying further down the wrong path.

During that period, Ren Xiuxian was in a very bad emotional state. Her health was poor, and since her daughter had entered the entertainment industry, she naturally paid attention to her work. Of course, she also saw all the online gossip. But as a mother, she knew her daughter would never do those things and understood exactly why her daughter was so determined to stay hidden at Zenith Entertainment.

Both her body and emotions were on the verge of collapse. At that time, the online rumors about her daughter and the voices around her had swayed her emotions, indirectly leading to her car accident.

Just thinking about her mother’s accident and the state she was in during that time slowly brought Ren Jiao back to her senses.

From the moment she entered this industry, she had been determined to gather evidence of Sheng Dingzhe’s crimes, even at the cost of herself. Back then, she didn’t have the time nor did she care about her online reputation, until her mother’s accident happened.

The impact of Ren Xiuxian’s accident on her was immense. Though she appeared strong on the surface, seemingly unaffected, deep down, she was tormented by it.

With Ren Xiuxian’s experience as a precedent, Ren Jiao didn’t dare let Ji Qingshi get too involved in her life. Her mother had already been indirectly hurt because of her. Even though the accident was the driver’s fault, Ren Jiao had shackled herself with guilt, blaming everything on herself.

She didn’t want what happened to her mother to repeat itself. Just the thought of Ji Qingshi being gossiped about behind her back. Accused of having ties with a scandal-ridden idol was unbearable.

Ji Qingshi was such a good person. No matter what, something like that couldn’t happen to her. Her pristine, sacred police uniform shouldn’t be tainted by even a speck of dust.

Ren Jiao curled up on the sofa, sinking into endless self-loathing and doubt, until the doorbell rang.

At the sound of the bell, her first thought was that Ji Qingshi had returned. She jumped off the sofa and rushed to the door, not even bothering to put on slippers.

“What’s going on with you? You’re not answering calls or messages, and you didn’t reset the temporary password for your place.” Cen Shu started scolding the moment the door opened, only to belatedly realize something was off. “What’s wrong? It’s dark outside, and you didn’t even turn on the lights?”

Cen Shu flicked on the hallway light, the sudden brightness making Ren Jiao blink.

After a quick glance at her, Cen Shu noticed she was in a nightgown, barefoot, her hair a mess; the very picture of someone utterly distraught.

“What happened?” Cen Shu instinctively scanned the room, her sharp senses picking up that someone seemed to be missing. “Where’s Officer Ji?”

At the mention of Ji Qingshi, Ren Jiao’s eyes reddened almost instantly. The pain of loss erupted upon seeing Cen Shu. She had no one to confide in about the weight in her heart. She loved Ji Qingshi and had confirmed Ji Qingshi loved her too, yet on the same day, she had lost her.

Seeing her tears, Cen Shu panicked. “What’s going on?”

Flustered, she wiped Ren Jiao’s tears and pulled her onto the sofa. “What happened? Who upset you? Did Officer Ji do something?”

Ren Jiao’s tears only fell harder. She shook her head repeatedly, choking back sobs. “N-no! it’s m-my fault.”

The more she said this, the more convinced Cen Shu became that Ji Qingshi had hurt her.

Having worked as a manager for so many years, Cen Shu had a keen eye. She had noticed some time ago that Ren Jiao harbored special feelings for Ji Qingshi, but she hadn’t pointed it out. Today, seeing Ren Jiao crying so bitterly and Ji Qingshi nowhere in sight, her first instinct was that Ji Qingshi had rejected their beloved Jiaojiao.

Though as a manager, Cen Shu didn’t approve of Ren Jiao, who was still a popular idol. Dating, she had chosen to stay quiet after sensing the situation. That didn’t mean she wanted to see Ji Qingshi reject Ren Jiao, though.

To put it bluntly, she was just too protective. While she didn’t support Ren Jiao dating, she also couldn’t stand the thought of Ji Qingshi rejecting her. After all, Ren Jiao was her protégé. No one was allowed to bully her.

Honestly, her own feelings on the matter were pretty contradictory.

Cen Shu sighed heavily. Seeing her girl cry so miserably, she must have been deeply hurt. Her dissatisfaction with Ji Qingshi instantly peaked, and she couldn’t help but fume, “Don’t defend her! Tell me exactly how she hurt you. I won’t let her get away with it! So, what if she’s a cop? She has no right to make you this upset!”

Ren Jiao sniffled, finally catching the implication in Cen Shu’s words. “Sis Cen, are you misunderstanding something?”

“Hmph. Misunderstanding? My eyes aren’t blind yet. The way you look at her, I could tell at a glance!”

Ren Jiao blinked, momentarily forgetting her tears. After a long pause, she hiccuped and then admitted guiltily in a small voice, “Sorry, sis! I think I made a mistake.”

It had taken her this long to realize. She was an idol, and there was an unspoken rule that idols weren’t supposed to date. She had been so caught up in whether she was good enough for Ji Qingshi that she’d completely overlooked her career.

Honestly, it was pretty unprofessional of her.

Cen Shu huffed. “What mistake?”

Ren Jiao hung her head even lower. “I… I fell for someone.”

Hearing her speak so timidly, Cen Shu grew even angrier. “And then? Why were you crying just now? Did she reject you? Break your heart? Or did she do something else to hurt you?”

“Huh?” Ren Jiao looked up at her, bewildered, her eyes wide and pitiful.

Cen Shu was livid. “What ‘huh’? Where is she? I’ll go find her! How dare she mess with you and then just walk away?! I’ve seen how well she treats you or so I thought. Turns out it was all just superficial!”

Finally understanding the misunderstanding, Ren Jiao quickly grabbed Cen Shu’s arm. “No, no, sis! It’s not her fault, it’s mine.”

“You’re still defending her?”

“No, I’m not defending her! I was the one who rejected her.”

Cen Shu, who had been about to stand up, froze. She looked down at Ren Jiao in shock. The girl sat on the couch, her kitten-like eyes still brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

“What? You rejected her?”

Cen Shu calmed down and sat back on the couch, frowning. “What exactly happened?”

Thanks to Cen Shu’s sudden arrival, Ren Jiao had managed to pull herself out of the day’s emotional turmoil. Now composed, she recounted everything that had happened the night before, including her own thoughts.

“So, I turned her down.”

Cen Shu fell silent after hearing this, staring at Ren Jiao for so long that the latter began to squirm uncomfortably.

“Sis, the way you’re looking at me makes me think you’re about to hit me.”

As soon as she said this, Cen Shu actually raised her hand slightly, making Ren Jiao shrink back and duck away.

Cen Shu took a deep breath and looked at her with exasperation. “You think you’re not good enough for her, but she doesn’t feel that way at all. By rejecting her for this reason, don’t you think you’re being unfair to her?”

Ren Jiao widened her eyes, staring at Cen Shu in disbelief. “Sis, I thought you’d definitely be against me dating.”

“Hah, I don’t approve,” Cen Shu said, crossing her arms and eyeing her. “If you two were truly in love and serious about being together, I might actually try to talk you out of it. But that’s not the case here. I think the problem you’re facing now is more serious than an idol dating.”

“Jiaojiao, have you realized that the reason you rejected Officer Ji’s confession is the same reason you turned down the role General Manager Lian offered you?”

Ren Jiao pressed her lips together and stayed silent for a long time.

Cen Shu sighed and gently patted the back of her hand. “I’ll say it again, you haven’t even told her the truth. How do you know what she’d think?”