The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: No Reply

Ming Jin’s long fingers slowly scrolled down the phone screen. Her expression remained as usual, but Xu Zhiyan’s face grew increasingly anxious.

In the morning, the news of Song Xiangwan’s hospitalization had already made it to the trending topics. It wasn’t just Song Xiangwan’s illness; there was also the… scandal involving Lu Yuhang and Song Xiangwan.

The blurry on-site photos and videos made it possible to identify the people from their costumes. The moment Song Xiangwan collapsed, Lu Yuhang rushed over and embraced her. Subsequent videos showed Lu Yuhang carrying Song Xiangwan in a princess carry all the way to the car. At the hospital, he chased after the stretcher bed, running behind it, and didn’t leave the hospital until three or four in the afternoon.

The “Hang Wan CP” went viral that night. Some people with “microscopes” even found that on the day of the launch ceremony, the mineral water bottle Song Xiangwan was holding had a large picture of Lu Yuhang’s head on it. Song Xiangwan held the bottle while Lu Yuhang talked to her, leaning over with a look of tenderness.

Wanwan’s Appearance Fan: Are you kidding? He talked to Wanwan, and Wanwan didn’t even spare him a glance. He was the only one being proactive, alright?

MyWifeIsSongXiangwan: Based on my understanding of Wanwan, she wouldn’t look twice at this Lu Yuhang.

SongXiangwan’sDog: +1

SongXiangwan’sDog: He’s completely unworthy, okay? My Wanwan was the Campus Belle of the Beijing Dance Academy. He looks like a big perch.

MoonLovesWanwan: Ahem, let’s be careful not to get screenshots taken.

OneSugar: Right. His fans are quite aggressive… just saying…

SongXiangwan’sDog: (A message was recalled)

OneSugar: Besides, I don’t think it’s entirely a bad thing? CP hype is a standard method.

SpaceWalker: And Lu Yuhang has been quite popular these two years. Getting some of his hype isn’t a bad thing…

SongXiangwan’sDog: Don’t forget Wanwan’s personality. She’s only knocked out right now.

Wanwan’s Appearance Fan: Yeah, if she wakes up, she’ll probably flip out.

MoonLovesWanwan: The last time she cursed Su Chenxing on Weibo, it was real… Oh, my sister…

OneSugar: But what if she doesn’t respond?

This question was followed by a slight silence in the group. Given Song Xiangwan’s personality, if she felt forced, the first thing she would do upon waking up would be to post on Weibo, defending her innocence.

Now…

Ming Jin placed the phone face down on the table, brought her fingers to her lips, and coughed twice. The color on her lips instantly faded.

“Sis…”

“Go to the hospital,” Ming Jin directly interrupted Xu Zhiyan, then pushed her wheelchair straight out.

Xu Zhiyan didn’t stop her, knowing she couldn’t.

To ensure secrecy and privacy, Song Xiangwan was admitted to a private hospital in Shancheng. From a distance, they could see entertainment reporters surrounding the entrance, cameras ready to capture first-hand news.

Xu Zhiyan had already arranged things with the hospital’s senior management. The Rolls-Royce drove into the hospital’s underground parking lot via a private access route.

Xu Zhiyan talked with the crew staff outside for a while, collected the information, and returned to the car, obediently handing it to Ming Jin.

“Lobar pneumonia infection. She’s awake, but may need a few days of observation in the hospital.”

“Awake…” Ming Jin mused for a moment, her eyelashes lowered, concealing the emotion in her eyes. “Mhm, I see.”

In the hospital room, Song Xiangwan was causing a scene.

She had an IV needle in one hand and a phone in the other. Her temperature hadn’t completely dropped, leaving a slight flush on her face, and her voice was weak. But her tone was exceptionally firm: “Sister Cao, give me my Weibo account.”

Cao Xin’s voice came through the phone: “Impossible. Don’t even think about it. You need to focus on recovering. The company has its own arrangements.”

Song Xiangwan refused to give up: “Give it to me. I won’t mess around.”

Cao Xin: “…” After a moment of silence, she said, “Song Xiangwan, do you think I believe your nonsense?”

“My dear, please listen to me this one time. This is the company’s decision…”

“The company’s decision is to make me hype a CP?” Song Xiangwan was furious. “Do I look like I’d be interested in Lu Yuhang?”

“He’s been trying to pull things with me since I entered the crew. His intentions are written all over his face.”

“How did he get popular? Sister Cao, don’t you know?”

“He hypes a CP with the female lead and supporting actress in every drama. After leaching the attention, he turns around and takes all the credit himself. Are you trying to make me his blood bag?”

Cao Xin waited for her to vent, then slowly said: “Calm down. Judging by your current popularity, it might not be a question of who’s leaching whom…”

“Anyway, we won’t officially acknowledge it. We’ll leave it as is for now. When the time is right, we’ll actively say it was just a misunderstanding.”

“Besides, the production team has tacitly agreed. This benefits the drama’s promotion.”

“My dear, just bear with it for now. Once the drama airs, the hype will naturally die down.”

“Impossible, absolutely impossible…” Song Xiangwan refused to compromise. Are they joking? Since her debut, when had she ever stooped to CP hype?

But only the busy tone sounded in the receiver. Cao Xin had already hung up.

Cheng Cheng jumped, leaning in to whisper, “Sister Wan, would you like some water?”

“No. Get out,” Song Xiangwan said coldly, then lay down on the bed and immediately covered herself completely with the blanket.

“Sister Wan…” Cheng Cheng called softly, but didn’t dare to pull back the blanket. The blanket was rolled into a tight ball, leaving only her long black hair outside, giving Cheng Cheng a stubborn, bundled back.

“I’ll be right outside. Call me if you need anything.” Cheng Cheng quietly slipped out.

This was the first time Song Xiangwan had erupted in anger at her since she started working for her, and she knew she was partly at fault. When Song Xiangwan was admitted to the hospital and still unconscious, she had used Song Xiangwan’s phone to cooperate with Cao Xin in changing the Weibo account’s binding.

Once outside, Cheng Cheng called Cao Xin: “Sister Cao…”

“Mhm, the situation is okay now. The doctor said she needs to be hospitalized for observation first.”

“She’s still angry. She just threw her phone.”

“Sister Cao… maybe… maybe you should give her Weibo back to her…”

“You didn’t tell me about this just now. You only said we needed to cooperate with the drama’s promotion and use Weibo.”

“I…” Cheng Cheng lowered her head and whispered, “I understand.”

She hung up the phone, pursed her lips inward, and bit down slightly with her teeth, feeling a little flustered. She hadn’t known the company’s true intent, and she had unknowingly betrayed Song Xiangwan.

Cao Xin was also feeling anxious, standing in her office. The large logo of Changning Entertainment was affixed to the desk in front of her. The middle-aged man sitting in the office chair, wearing a well-tailored custom suit and frameless glasses, scrolled through Song Xiangwan’s account.

Reading one Weibo post after another was painful. Other artists were devoted to maintaining their perfect public image, daring not to express any personal opinions on public social media. Song Xiangwan, however, would confront anything she disliked, treating Weibo like her personal domain, doing whatever she pleased.

“She’s been this reckless. Didn’t you manage her?” he asked flatly.

“Xiangwan has always maintained a ‘genuine personality’ persona, so posting these Weipos aligns with her image and helps solidify her fan base,” Cao Xin quickly explained.

“Do you know where you fall short compared to Xu Jing?” He looked up.

“Sister Jing certainly has many strengths that surpass mine and are worth learning from,” Cao Xin forced a smile.

“In artist management, you’re already lacking.”

“Which artist under her management isn’t more popular than Song Xiangwan? Who would dare to be so insubordinate?”

“Yes, yes, yes…” Cao Xin was helpless at this point, only able to nod and defer when being scolded by her boss. “President Wang, you are right.”

As a struggling employee caught between a temperamental artist and a rigid boss, she was stuck in an impossible position.

“Mr. Wu already told me about the previous incident,” President Wang’s tone was dismissive. “What’s wrong with having a drink and holding hands?”

“Didn’t she mentally prepare herself for this line of work?”

“Accompanying for drinks is part of the job. What was Song Xiangwan’s attitude?”

“She almost ruined a perfectly acquired female lead role. Luckily, Li Jing had the means to secure this big production.”

“Yes, yes, yes…” By now, Cao Xin was numb. When scolded by her leader, all she could do was nod and agree.

“The account will stay with me for now. Colleagues from the publicity department will be responsible for follow-up. You don’t need to worry about it.”

President Wang said this while deleting a Weibo post where Song Xiangwan had subtly criticized the company.

“Then I…”

“Consider this your chance to make amends. If there are any more problems, remember, the company does not keep incompetent people.”

Cao Xin left with a smile. The moment she closed the door, the smile vanished. She looked at the office door and barely restrained herself from spitting. What nonsense? What does he mean, not having psychological preparation for this line of work?

This industry was ruined by people like him. She was also bursting with anger with nowhere to vent. Since they were implicitly threatening to fire her, what could she do? If she weren’t short on money, only a fool would work in this industry.

Reaching the end of the corridor, she kicked a trash can hard. Then Cao Xin looked down and booked a ticket to Shancheng.

Then came a woman’s arrogant voice: “Put this one over there.”

“Yes, Star-Star’s pull-up banner should be placed in the most conspicuous spot by the door.”

“The others’?”

“Put the others further back. Where are your manners?”

Amidst these voices, Li Jing walked past Cao Xin without stopping. Cao Xin didn’t want to court disaster, so she just walked over and tidied up Song Xiangwan’s pull-up banner.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket—a message from President Wang.

President Wang: [Is this a major fan?]

LessIceLightSugar: CP trending topic. Do you need help suppressing it?

Cao Xin: [I don’t know. I don’t recall seeing them.]

President Wang: [See? You can’t even compare to Li Jing. You don’t even know this?]

Cao Xin: …

Why is this middle-aged man so condescending? He has to lecture me about every little thing.

Cao Xin: [Probably not. I haven’t seen her participate in any offline activities.]

President Wang: [Got it.]

President Wang: [Next time, be careful not to be clueless about everything.]

The private chat was closed.

There was no reply from Song Xiangwan’s account.