AD Chapter 45
Lately, Chu Zichen hadn't been doing well.
First, his appearances on a variety show were completely cut; with just two episodes left, he was suddenly replaced. Then, the concert he had been preparing for was indefinitely postponed.
Chu Zichen, who had always enjoyed smooth sailing in the entertainment industry, finally panicked. His confidence in acting out and being willful stemmed from his popularity and the company’s support. As long as he was valuable, what was wrong with being a bit difficult?
But he had forgotten that all of his “value” had been bestowed by Gu Lingfeng. Now that he had angered Gu Lingfeng, and Gu Lingfeng wanted to take it all back, there was absolutely nothing he could do.
The company still had him complete previous commitments, but all future arrangements had ceased. Chu Zichen was effectively half-shelved. He used to complain about being forced to practice singing and dancing every day, but now that no one was pushing him anymore, he felt no joy at all.
He first called Gu Lingfeng—no one answered. He figured he’d been blocked. Then he tried calling his manager. The manager didn’t answer either, and after Chu Zichen called repeatedly, he finally got a blunt response in the form of a text:
“Busy. Don’t bother.”
Just four words, but they dripped with the coldness and indifference of the world. Chu Zichen felt a chill in his heart, as if everyone had abandoned him.
Unwilling to give up, he gritted his teeth and typed out a message:
“Ge, I know I was wrong. I’ll listen to you from now on—I’ll do the training, participate in shows, sing, dance, whatever you say. I promise I won’t be as headstrong as before. Please don’t be mad. You’re my manager. If I’m really done for, that’s a loss for you too, right?”
After sending the message, Chu Zichen clutched his phone anxiously, waiting. He knew his manager valued him—after all, he was the most successful artist under his hand. Losing him would be a blow to the manager too.
After what felt like an eternity, the phone finally buzzed with a reply. Chu Zichen hurriedly opened the message, and the last remaining shred of hope inside him crumbled.
“If you knew this would happen, why did you act that way in the first place? You offended President Gu—what’s the use of talking to me now? You had a winning hand and played it to ruin. The dealer’s already left the table. What’s the point of saying anything now?”
No matter how many more calls or texts Chu Zichen sent afterward, they all went unanswered. It was likely he had been blocked completely.
Was he… completely abandoned?
Chu Zichen slumped to the ground in despair.
As for Chu Zichen’s current state, Su Ning wasn’t fully aware. His only reason for paying attention to Chu Zichen was because the young star was his boss’s lover—he needed to keep track of his schedule in case Gu Lingfeng wanted to see him.
Recently, Gu Lingfeng’s first love had returned to the country, and his attention was completely on her. Chu Zichen had long been forgotten. As Gu Lingfeng’s personal assistant, Su Ning’s focus naturally followed that of his employer. If Gu Lingfeng no longer cared about Chu Zichen, Su Ning had no reason to pay attention to a celebrity—he was never a fan to begin with.
He had stopped watching variety shows and thus didn’t know Chu Zichen’s scenes had been cut, or that the last few episodes had been canceled.
That day, just before getting off work, Gu Lingfeng received a call from his first love, Shen Yao, inviting him to dinner. He gladly accepted, leaving Su Ning to drive home alone.
Shortly after leaving the company, Su Ning received a call from Chu Zichen, who claimed Gu Lingfeng had left some belongings at his apartment and asked Su Ning to pick them up.
Since Gu Lingfeng occasionally spent the night at Chu Zichen’s place, he’d left a few sets of clothes there for convenience. When they broke up, Su Ning hadn’t known and therefore never retrieved them. As for Gu Lingfeng—he was the type of man who would never care about such trivial things.
Su Ning frowned slightly. He hadn’t initially known that Gu Lingfeng had broken things off with Chu Zichen. Later, when he noticed Gu Lingfeng stopped seeing him and Chu Zichen hadn’t reached out once, he figured the fling was over. What surprised him was how calmly Chu Zichen took it—he hadn’t caused a single scene.
Now, Chu Zichen suddenly called, sounding unusually calm, just to ask for a few clothes to be picked up?
Su Ning guessed he might be trying to use him to pass on some message to Gu Lingfeng, but didn’t think much of it. He adjusted his route and headed for Chu Zichen’s apartment.
The apartment had been provided by the company after Chu Zichen debuted through a talent show. Although he was now half-shelved, the place hadn’t been taken back yet.
When Su Ning saw Chu Zichen again, he was stunned.
In just a few days, the once radiant idol, praised by fans for his flawless looks, looked like a different person entirely—worn, haggard, sunken-eyed, with deep dark circles and pale skin that had lost all its color. He looked at least ten years older.
Su Ning’s mouth parted slightly, staring at him blankly, unable to process what he was seeing.
Chu Zichen looked up and gave a bitter, mocking smile. “Go ahead and laugh if you want. I know you must be thrilled to see me like this. After all, my downfall probably has something to do with you.”
Just one sentence, and Su Ning realized that despite everything, this was still the same unlikeable, temperamental little star.
He pressed his lips together and frowned. “Why would I be happy about that? What does any of this have to do with me?”
He paused for a moment, then added, “You said you wanted me to pick something up—where is it?”
A strange look crossed Chu Zichen’s face. He glanced at Su Ning, then stepped aside to let him in, before heading to the kitchen and coming back with a glass of water.
Su Ning was surprised—this was the first time Chu Zichen had ever offered him a drink. He hesitated but eventually accepted the glass, though he didn’t drink immediately.
Chu Zichen watched him grasp the cup and let out a cold laugh. “What, afraid I poisoned it? You don’t even dare drink water I poured?”
Su Ning rolled his eyes silently. If Chu Zichen had ended up like this, it was entirely his own doing.
Taking a sip from the cup, Su Ning looked back at him and said, “I’ve got to get home and make dinner. Where’s the stuff?”
Chu Zichen stared at him for a moment, then sneered, “Wait here.”
He turned and walked into the bedroom to pack up the clothes.
Su Ning sat on the couch to wait, but soon felt his head spinning. Drowsiness overcame him, and he blacked out completely.
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