When the Female Lead Becomes Obsessive – Chapter 4

Volume One: Those Years I Was a CEO

A Belated Apology

Wen Nuan was severely criticized by her grandfather last night. He accused her of deliberately using the errand of getting medicine as an excuse to sneak out and have fun.

Wen Nuan felt mentally exhausted by this.

She thought she would sleep in today since she went to bed so late last night. However, when she checked her phone, it was only 7 AM.

She closed her eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come.

Wen Nuan got up and went to the balcony. The gardeners and florists were already trimming the plants in the yard, which were starting to shed their leaves.

This year’s late autumn had turned cold quickly. Even before November, the morning chill made people shiver.

Wen Nuan shuddered.

The system popped up and said: 【Yesterday, the female lead’s blackening value decreased. It’s now at 7. Just letting you know.】

Decreased?

Wen Nuan’s eyes lit up: “It dropped by 2 points. Could it be that helping her pay her bills yesterday had an effect?”

Yesterday, she found You Jiayi’s payment slip. It showed nearly 100,000 yuan in outstanding fees, along with a final payment notice from the hospital. If the fees weren’t paid, You Jiayi’s mother would be kicked out of the hospital.

Wen Nuan took the payment slip and cleared all her debts. She didn’t do it intentionally; she just couldn’t bear to see You Jiayi running around for such a small amount of money.

100,000 yuan was as trivial as 10 yuan to her, and it used to be the same for You Jiayi.

But today’s You Jiayi was at her wit’s end, probably with pockets emptier than her face.

She didn’t expect her moment of compassion to be a blessing in disguise, reducing the female lead’s blackening value.

Wen Nuan couldn’t help but wonder: If she gave the female lead more money, helped her mother find a kidney source, and resolved the public opinion crisis the female lead had caused last time, would the female lead’s blackening value be completely resolved?

The system heard her thoughts and thought it was feasible. 【It’s worth a try. After all, the female lead’s current wish is for her mother to recover and for her to continue acting. The female lead’s dream is to act, isn’t it? Following this direction should help reduce the blackening value.】

With the system’s affirmation, Wen Nuan took out her phone, ready to transfer money to You Jiayi. Suddenly, she realized she had blocked You Jiayi’s WeChat. To avoid You Jiayi, she had even canceled her phone number and run off abroad to have fun.

This was awkward.

But–

Wen Nuan found Qi He’s WeChat and dialed the phone number listed there.

Some things were more effective when done by the male lead.

Early in the morning, You Jiayi received incredibly good news. They said a matching liver for her mother had been found and was on its way to the hospital.

You Jiayi wept with joy, repeatedly asking the doctor, “Really…really found?”

The doctor nodded: “Yes, yes, it’s been found. It’s on its way. It’ll be here in an hour. So, we’ll start the surgery first, remove your mother’s necrotic liver, and wait for the new liver to arrive.”

You Jiayi’s eyes welled up with tears, and she kept thanking the doctor.

Her mother was taken into the operating room, and You Jiayi waited anxiously outside.

The new liver arrived quickly, and the nurses carried the box into the operating room.

You Jiayi repeatedly reassured herself.

It’s okay, it’s okay, everything will be okay.

The surgery lasted five hours. When the surgeon came out, You Jiayi realized it was the renowned liver specialist, Professor Fang Zhengming [方正明 | Fāng Zhèngmíng].

She had waited a long time for Professor Fang’s appointment to seek treatment for her mother, but Professor Fang’s surgeries were already scheduled two years out.

Her mother couldn’t wait that long.

“Professor Fang? Why are you here?” You Jiayi asked in surprise.

Fang Zhengming smiled: “I was entrusted by someone to perform this surgery. The result is perfect. There were no complications. Please rest assured. With good post-operative care, she’ll be discharged soon.”

You Jiayi was relieved; the weight she’d been carrying finally lifted. “Thank you, Professor Fang, thank you, Professor Fang.”

Professor Fang waved his hand: “It’s nothing, it’s nothing. It’s our duty as doctors to help patients recover. You don’t need to be so polite.” He glanced at his watch. “I have another surgery this afternoon, so I can’t chat with you any longer.”

“Okay, thank you, Professor Fang.” You Jiayi pursed her lips and suddenly called out to Fang Zhengming, “Professor Fang, you said you were entrusted by someone. Could you tell me who it was?”

Fang Zhengming paused, then smiled: “I thought Nuan Nuan had told you. So, she didn’t?”

Nuan Nuan?

Xu Wen Nuan!

You Jiayi trembled: “Was it Xu Wen Nuan?”

Fang Zhengming nodded: “Yes, it was Nuan Nuan. That girl begged me for a whole day to come and do this surgery, to help out. I looked at your mother’s case; the surgery wasn’t a big problem. I was going to have my apprentice perform it, but that girl insisted I do it myself. I couldn’t refuse her, so I came.”

You Jiayi was stunned, watching Fang Zhengming walk away.

Her mother was transferred to the intensive care unit and had a dedicated nurse. You Jiayi sat outside the ward, lost in thought.

Her phone vibrated in her palm. She opened it; it was a WeChat message.

She opened it, and it was from Qi He. He didn’t say anything, but he sent several money transfers.

You Jiayi calculated; it was about 500,000 yuan.

—You Jiayi: President Qi, this is??

Qi He replied quickly.

—Qi He: You’ll probably need money soon. Here’s 500,000 yuan. Use it for now.

You Jiayi bit her lip.

—You Jiayi: It’s okay, President Qi. I don’t need this much money anymore. Thank you for your help. I’ll repay the previous debt as soon as possible.

She was about to decline the transfer when she saw Qi He’s message. Her fingertip froze.

—Qi He: This isn’t from me. It’s from Xu Wen Nuan. She asked me to transfer it to you. Xu Wen Nuan has already repaid your debt to me. If you want to return the money or thank someone, talk to Xu Wen Nuan.

—Qi He: #ContactCard# This is her WeChat. She said she couldn’t reach you and could only transfer the money through me.

You Jiayi lowered her eyelids, her fingertip hovering over the keyboard.

—You Jiayi: Thank you, President Qi.

She looked at the WeChat contact card Qi He sent. Xu Wen Nuan’s profile picture was still the same as before, a small, shining sun she had drawn for her.

Her fingers curled, and she finally tapped on the contact card.

Wen Nuan saw the friend request on her WeChat list. It was the familiar profile picture, and it said: “It’s You Jiayi.”

She clicked “Accept.”

Before she could say anything, You Jiayi started transferring money to her.

It was 500,000 yuan in total, the 500,000 yuan she had given to Qi He, which You Jiayi had returned to her in full.

From this, it was clear that Qi He had sold her out.

—Wen Nuan: ??

She sent two question marks to test the female lead’s intentions.

—You Jiayi: I don’t need this money anymore. My mother’s debts, the kidney source, and Professor Fang… I’m very grateful to you. I really have no way to repay you. If there’s anything you need me to do, I’ll do anything. Anything at all.

She looked at her phone screen. Xu Wen Nuan hadn’t replied.

Anything at all.

Even if Xu Wen Nuan drugged her again and sent her to another man’s bed, she would be willing.

Wen Nuan pondered the meaning of the female lead’s words.

First, the female lead was very grateful for her help and wanted to repay her.

Second, the system had just notified her that the female lead’s blackening value had dropped to 5. Her mother’s successful surgery had significantly reduced her blackening value.

This meant that the strategy they had initially developed was very useful. Now, she just needed to help the female lead return to the entertainment industry, let her continue acting, and win a Best Actress award or something, and the blackening value would be completely eliminated.

Currently, the female lead was being ridiculed by the entire entertainment industry, boycotted by the whole internet, and almost no entertainment company was willing to sign her.

So–

—Wen Nuan: I’ve founded an entertainment company and need an artist. I want to sign you. Is that okay?

You Jiayi was in disbelief at Xu Wen Nuan’s reply.

She wanted to sign her as an artist?!

You Jiayi couldn’t help but think back to five years ago. At that time, she debuted through a talent show, gained fame for participating in a small-budget web drama, and then signed with Mingxin Entertainment [铭心娱乐 | Míngxīn Yúlè]. She met Xu Wen Nuan at a wine party.

At that time, she had said something to her.

“I’ve seen the drama you acted in. It’s very good. Your acting is great. If I ever open an entertainment company, I’ll definitely poach you and promote you heavily.”

At that time, she thought Xu Wen Nuan was joking because she smiled so casually that it was impossible to tell if she was being serious.

She didn’t pay much attention, as she was doing well at Mingxin Entertainment.

But now, she never expected that joke to come true.

—You Jiayi: Okay.

Wen Nuan waited a long time for You Jiayi’s reply. Seeing that she agreed, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, she planned to let Qi He sign You Jiayi, but that guy wasn’t up to the task and directly sold her out.

Now that the female lead asked her what she wanted, Wen Nuan directly seized the opportunity and signed the female lead.

Only by protecting someone under her wing would things be more secure.

With her protecting and paving the way for the female lead, it would be a piece of cake for her to return to the entertainment industry and win a Best Actress award.

Suddenly, people were surprised to find that the Xu Corporation had suddenly entered the entertainment industry. The president of the Xu Corporation had founded an entertainment company called “Yixin” [怡心 | Yíxīn] Entertainment.

And this entertainment company had only one artist under its banner: You Jiayi, the disgraced artist who had been scolded out of the entertainment industry, was notorious, opportunistic, and had been abandoned by Mingxin Entertainment.

In an instant, Yixin Entertainment and You Jiayi instantly climbed to the top three of Weibo’s trending searches.

#Yixin Entertainment Established#

#You Jiayi’s Comeback#

#Xu Corporation’s President Has Gone Mad#

Wen Nuan looked at the third trending search, her face darkening. She said speechlessly, “Who the f*ck is mad?”

She clicked on this trending search, and many netizens were wondering if the president of the Xu Corporation had been bewitched by You Jiayi. Why would they sign an artist with a stained record and questionable character?

Some people even suspected that someone in the Xu Corporation was keeping You Jiayi as a mistress. Later, people discovered that Yixin Entertainment was solely owned by the current president of the Xu Corporation.

Xu Wen Nuan, female, no possibility of keeping a mistress.

But then someone questioned, who said only men can keep women as mistresses? Women can keep women as mistresses too!

Don’t be so rigid about gender, okay?!

Wen Nuan was shocked by this Weibo post, and her worldview was shaken.

This generation of netizens had quite the imagination.

However, this Weibo post reminded Wen Nuan that the public now believed You Jiayi’s comeback was the result of being kept by someone, having found a sugar daddy. This would have a significant impact on her comeback.

Therefore, the Xu Corporation, which hadn’t posted on Weibo in a long time, released a statement on its official Weibo account.

Xu Corporation V: The signing of Ms. You Jiayi was a comprehensive decision made by our company. There were no illegal methods involved. If there are any doubts, we welcome a public confrontation @People’sPolice. [人民警察 | Rénmín Jǐngchá | a generic account for law enforcement]

—@NiubiHongHong: Damn! The Xu Corporation is awesome, going straight for the lawyer’s letter!

—@Wuzhan: Is the Xu Corporation trying to sensationalize? Don’t you know what kind of artist You Jiayi is?

—@LiLiDuoDuo: You Jiayi deliberately drugged someone to get close to a sugar daddy, intending to assault President Qi He of the Qi Corporation. This behavior has crossed the legal bottom line. Is the Xu Corporation protecting a sexual assault offender? @People’sPolice @QiHe, don’t think you’re the only one who can @ people.

—@BieXiaoKanWo: The Xu Corporation’s Weibo publicly declares that You Jiayi is their person. They’re protecting their own.

…….

Suddenly, the Xu Corporation was ridiculed, and this Weibo post was scolded to the top of the trending searches.

Wen Nuan looked at the exploding phone calls, pressed her aching forehead, and looked at Wei Cheng [卫城 | Wèi Chéng]. “Go, tell the public relations department to find a way to fix this, or they can all go home.”

Wei Cheng nodded: “Yes, President Xu.”

Her phone kept vibrating with WeChat messages; it was her grandfather’s frantic calls.

Wen Nuan took a deep breath and answered her grandfather’s call.

The loud voice on the phone shouted directly, “Xu Wen Nuan, are you itching for a beating? You were wild enough abroad, and now you’re back and still f*cking wild?!”

Wen Nuan put the phone on the table, turned on the speakerphone, and listened to her grandfather’s vigorous scolding. Every colorful word seemed to come from the bottom of his heart, making one involuntarily reflect.

Did this old man really have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar?

This full-throated scolding was even more solid than a young person’s.

Finally, the old man scolded for an hour, his voice hoarse, before he calmed down a bit.

“Done? You’ve finished scolding, so can I explain now?” Wen Nuan said softly.

Grandpa Xu took a breath: “Speak, let’s see what you can say?”

Wen Nuan thought of You Jiayi’s appearance in the video and said in a deep voice, “You Jiayi ended up like this because of your granddaughter. I’m compensating her.”

“She was drugged at the time because I gave her the drug.”

“I personally sent her into Qi He’s room, which led to her being photographed by the paparazzi and scolded out of the entertainment industry.”

“It all started with me, Grandpa…” Wen Nuan closed her eyes, her voice a little strained, “I’m very sorry to her, so I want to make it up to her.”

Grandpa Xu was silent for a long time, then cursed: “…Damn girl!”

Then he angrily hung up the phone.

The news of Xu Corporation’s Yixin Entertainment signing You Jiayi was met with increasing criticism online. More and more people joined the scolding, and it even affected the Xu Corporation’s stock.

The Xu Corporation’s public relations department worked tirelessly and, at the peak of the public outcry, released a video.

The video showed that the wine You Jiayi drank that night was drugged, and the person who did it was Tan Xin [谭馨 | Tán Xīn], a newcomer recently promoted by Mingxin Entertainment.

In the video, Tan Xin sneakily approached the drinks area, found the private drinks area labeled “You Jiayi, Qi He, Kang Xun [康寻 | Kāng Xún]”, found You Jiayi’s favorite champagne, and dropped a white pill into You Jiayi’s glass.

After a while, Xu Corporation’s president, Xu Wen Nuan, appeared at the banquet hall with You Jiayi’s glass, handed it to You Jiayi, and smiled as she watched her drink it.

From beginning to end, You Jiayi was just a victim, yet she was cyberbullied for a whole year.

In fact, this hotel video had already been destroyed, so the female lead initially couldn’t obtain the hotel video to clear her name. Wen Nuan was able to provide the video because of the system’s BUG.

Tan Xin indeed drugged You Jiayi, but that drug only caused unconsciousness. However, the drug Wen Nuan gave the female lead was one that could stimulate the deepest desires in a person’s heart.

In terms of severity, Wen Nuan was much worse than Tan Xin.

When this video was released, it caused a sensation in the entire entertainment industry. Tan Xin and Mingxin Entertainment were immediately investigated. Tan Xin was convicted of intentional injury, and Mingxin Entertainment was suspected of illegal activities such as prostitution, gambling, drug use, and forcing artists into prostitution for profit.

Before the storm settled, a trending search exploded, titled “I owe You Jiayi an apology.”

You Jiayi looked at the comments under her last Weibo post, all saying “sorry,” and found it ridiculous.

She clicked on the video released by the Xu Corporation, watched it once, and suddenly frowned.

This video had been edited.

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