The Exclusive Bodyguard of the Top Idol - Chapter 7

At the outset, Ji Qingshi had never imagined that this assignment would turn her not just into a bodyguard, but also a personal assistant. During Ren Jiao’s concert preparations, she found herself running errands daily; fetching meals, picking up costumes. Because of her presence, Ren Jiao’s actual assistant, Qianqian, had been reassigned by Cen Shu, often shadowing the manager instead, leaving Ji Qingshi stuck by Ren Jiao’s side.

At first, Qianqian had tried to resist. After all, being Ren Jiao’s assistant was her actual job, and she was terrified of losing it. But after Ren Jiao explained Ji Qingshi’s true identity and purpose, Qianqian gracefully stepped aside, relinquishing her role as the close aide to ensure Ji Qingshi could stay with Ren Jiao at all times.

“Does a concert really need this many costume changes? Isn’t it exhausting?” Ji Qingshi grumbled as she carried Ren Jiao’s performance outfits back to the backstage lounge at Bin City Stadium. Tonight was Little New Year’s Eve, the opening night of S-Group’s nationwide “Breaking the Cocoon” tour.

Earlier, Ren Jiao had left one of her costumes on the tour bus and sent Ji Qingshi to retrieve it.

By now, Ji Qingshi had long given up complaining. Every time she faced Ren Jiao’s breathtakingly beautiful face and heard her deliberately soften her tone with sweet words, Ji Qingshi found herself unable to voice any grievances.

“This Ren Jiaojiao really knows how to boss people around!”

After nearly half a month as a “personal assistant,” Ji Qingshi had grown much closer to Ren Jiao, and her formal address of “Miss Ren” had morphed into the more playful “Ren Jiaojiao.”

Ren Jiao had once protested, “It’s either ‘Ren Jiao’ or ‘Jiaojiao.’ Officer Ji, why must you insist on three syllables?”

Ji Qingshi snorted, sticking out her tongue playfully. “Because I want to.”

Cen Shu had witnessed the entire exchange where Ren Jiao ordered Ji Qingshi to fetch the costume, and though Ji Qingshi had looked reluctant, she still obediently went.

Cen Shu raised an eyebrow. “She’s adapting to her role as your assistant surprisingly well.”

Ren Jiao leaned back, eyes closed, a faint smile on her lips. “Officer Ji is incredibly adaptable. Besides, wasn’t it her idea to pose as my assistant in the first place? She agreed to it herself.”

Cen Shu silently thought: She was just being polite. It was supposed to be a cover. Who knew you’d take it so literally?

She wanted to say more, but seeing Ren Jiao so relaxed, genuinely smiling, she swallowed her words. It was strange. In all her years managing S-Group, Cen Shu had rarely seen Ren Jiao so at ease. The girl was usually guarded, her smiles perfunctory. The kind of practiced charm industry veterans could spot from a mile away.

Having seen enough insincerity in the entertainment world, Cen Shu knew better than anyone that Ren Jiao carried heavy burdens. The girl was a master at masking her true feelings. Those around her thought they understood her, but no one really knew what went on in her mind.

Which was why Cen Shu found it so bizarre. Watching Ren Jiao genuinely enjoy herself, amused by the way she teased Officer Ji and made her run errands despite her reluctance.

How odd.

And so, on the evening of Little New Year, the domestic top girl group Silver kicked off their new concert series in Binhai City to a packed house.

Fans and music lovers, aware of the horrific criminal cases involving their former company, Zenith Entertainment, and its boss, knew all too well the kind of murderous company they had been trapped in. Thus, the audience was exceptionally passionate, unfurling countless banners and light boards to express their unwavering support.

The members of Silver felt the love from their fans and were moved to tears.

Even Ren Jiao’s eyes were red. During the intermission, she and her six teammates held hands and bowed to the audience, thanking everyone for their overwhelming support.

In the second half of the concert, each of the seven members took the stage for a solo performance, with Ren Jiao debuting her original single.

She changed into a simple, pristine white dress, sat on a high stool at the center of the stage with just a guitar in her arms. Alone, with no other accompaniment or backing vocals, she softly sang the song she had written long ago.

Ji Qingshi stood below the stage, holding Ren Jiao’s down jacket, watching the girl who radiated boundless light whenever she stepped on stage. Suddenly, her heart settled into a deep calm.

Strangely enough, she had already heard this song countless times. Not just during daily rehearsals, but also while accompanying Ren Jiao to practice rooms and recording studios ever since she took on the responsibility of protecting her. Yet, this moment, with Ren Jiao singing alone on stage with her guitar, felt more enchanting than ever, as if it surpassed every previous rendition. Every note, every lyric gently resonated in Ji Qingshi’s heart, pulling her irresistibly into Ren Jiao’s musical world.

She remembered the song was called Rebirth, something Ren Jiao had prepared long ago but never released or performed.

Both Qianqian and Sister Cen had asked her why, only to receive a simple answer: “The time isn’t right yet.”

—”I don’t even know what ‘the time isn’t right’ means. Do you need to pick an auspicious day just to release a song?” Qianqian had once remarked to Ji Qingshi, and even now, she still didn’t quite understand.

But Ji Qingshi knew exactly what Ren Jiao meant by “the right time.” With Zenith Entertainment’s downfall and Sheng Dingzhe imprisoned, Ren Jiao had done everything in her power to gather evidence against one of the criminals from back then. As an ordinary person, she must have endured unimaginable hardships over the years.

Standing below the stage, Ji Qingshi’s gaze remained fixed on the figure above, unable to suppress the wild pounding of her heart.

…

The first stop of Silver’s Breaking the Cocoon tour concluded perfectly. After the show, there were still backstage activities. Many friends had come, along with the members’ families and industry heavyweights, including Lian Na and producers from the record company they were preparing to collaborate with.

Since Huaying Media had signed Silver, they intended to take their responsibilities seriously. They had signed the group for their popularity and talent, and even if it was just to maintain their star power and maximize the company’s profits, Lian Na would go all out to help them reach greater heights.

“Hello, President Lian.”

In the backstage lounge, after seeing off the last batch of friends and family, the members hadn’t even had time to remove their makeup or change when Lian Na arrived with her team.

Cen Shu had informed the girls in advance that President Lian had brought along Javen, the top music producer from Star Records, today. She reminded them to maintain a good demeanor when meeting him to leave a positive impression.

In truth, there was no need for such tension. The concert earlier had already showcased plenty. Star Records, having stood firm in the music industry for so many years, was the most discerning record label. After watching the girls’ performance on stage, Javen was already quite impressed and wanted to arrange some music-related discussions with them after the New Year.

Javen had already mentioned this to Lian Na, and upon meeting the members, he earnestly repeated it to them, his attitude warm and approachable.

The news of a potential collaboration with Star Records to produce an album filled the members with immense relief and excitement. However, they restrained themselves in front of President Lian and Javen, only bursting into a flurry of chatter like seven thousand ducks the moment their superiors left.

The day had brought too much good news not only had the concert gone smoothly, but they had also earned the favor of Star Records. This finally put the members’ hearts at ease after the recent turmoil caused by their former company’s collapse.

Cen Shu clapped her hands to calm them down. “Alright, alright, time’s running out. Hurry up and change so we can go home and rest!”

“Got it!” the seven of them chorused before starting to change out of their performance outfits.

They could skip removing their makeup for now that could wait until they got home. Right now, saving time was the priority.

As they changed, Cen Shu checked real-time updates on her phone and immediately relayed the news: “Tonight’s concert has made it onto five or six trending topics. It’s unprecedentedly lively!”

The night’s popularity wasn’t just unmatched among idols. It even rivaled some established veteran singers, solidifying S Group’s status as the leading force in both talent and influence among domestic idols today.

“Trending topics, huh…” Zhang Meng pouted. “I used to dread trending the most. Every time, there’d be haters spewing nasty comments.”

Haters would lead the charge in spreading rumors, and many casual onlookers would follow the negative narrative, blindly believing the lies. As the saying goes, “Rumors spread like wildfire, but debunking them takes a marathon.” Fans would work tirelessly to clarify the truth, only for the indifferent bystanders to ignore it, and the trolls to outright refuse to look.

Cen Shu chuckled. “Don’t worry, tonight’s trending topics are all positive!”

Jokes aside, now that they were under Huaying Media’s wing with their own PR team, how could they let those trolls run rampant anymore?

In the past, haters had spread vile rumors without consequence. Now, it was time to settle every single one of those scores.

“The company’s legal team has already gathered all the evidence of the trolls’ defamation. The next phase is to sue the most egregious cases, ensuring you get justice for the past three years while setting an example for others.” Cen Shu waved her phone. “The reason tonight’s trending topics are so clean is because the malicious rival accounts have already received court summons. They’re all playing ostrich now.”

Ren Jiao looked at Cen Shu and asked, “Sister Cen, have you been collecting this evidence all along?”

For three years, the online hate brigade had run wild. Someone must have been meticulously gathering evidence all this time, waiting for the day they could strike back.

Cen Shu waved her hand with a smile, “It’s nothing, not important. Anyway, the company will consider giving those who slandered and spread rumors about you all a light punishment as a warning.”

She said it lightly, but every member of Group S knew this was no small matter. With so many incidents, Cen Shu must have worked tirelessly to handle them all.

They were all deeply grateful to this manager who genuinely cared for them, especially Ren Jiao. As the leader and main vocalist of Group S, she had the highest popularity within the group, coupled with beauty that stood out even in the entire industry. Over the past three years, she had endured the most vicious and filthy rumors.