Chapter 26: Keeping You Company

Of course, Lin Lu's fans weren't having it. They immediately jumped in to defend their idol, demanding that Su Yi's fans provide evidence that Xu Yancheng had an official girlfriend. Another heated argument broke out online.

After glancing at a few of the comments, Lin Lu handed the phone back to Yuan Ruoxia. She stood alone for a while, then quietly began to pack up her things. Yuan Ruoxia stood nearby, unsure what to say or ask. In the end, it was Lin Lu who pulled her back to the dormitory.

Since seeing the trending topics, Lin Lu hadn't spoken another word. The online quarrel raged on. Lying in bed, Yuan Ruoxia found herself at a loss for words.

After a night of escalation, by the next morning, netizens had basically split into two camps: one supported Lin Lu and backed an official announcement of her relationship with Xu Yancheng; the other sided with Su Yi, condemning Lin Lu for shamelessly acting as a homewrecker.

Lin Lu’s phone was filled with missed calls and unread WeChat messages, most of them from Xu Mingchuan. He told her he believed it was all a misunderstanding, urged her not to be afraid, and asked her to reply when she woke up so he could help clear things up for her.

After scrolling through, Lin Lu picked out a missed call from Huang Han and returned it. Huang Han told her to come to the office.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Huang, for causing trouble for the dance troupe.” Lin Lu bowed to her.

Huang Han quickly helped her up, speaking earnestly, “I know I shouldn’t interfere in your private life, but this has blown up far too much. If it’s not handled properly, I’m afraid it won’t end well.”

“Lin Lu, your dance career is just beginning. I don’t want to see everything you’ve worked so hard for ruined by this. Do you understand?” Lin Lu was her most promising student, the one she’d been grooming as her successor. For such a thing to happen now was both heartbreaking and worrying for Huang Han.

But at this point, there was no use in assigning blame; the most important thing now was to solve the problem.

“The fallout from this exposure shouldn’t be yours alone to bear. As one of the parties involved, shouldn’t Second Young Master Xu step up and make a statement?”

“Since you have a connection with him, talk to him. The best solution is for him to address it publicly. Besides, if this continues to spiral, it’ll reflect badly on the Xu family as well.”

Lin Lu was silent for a moment. “I’ll do my best.”

She went back and called Xu Yancheng, but no one answered.

In the president’s office at Xu Corporation, Xu Yancheng stood with his back to Su Yi, arms crossed, gazing out at the city through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

“There’s nothing about this I need to explain to you.”

Su Yi walked over in her high heels, eyes red. “Then is there anything going on between you and Lin Lu?”

“What I can tell you is that while we were together, I never did anything to hurt you. As for what happened after we broke up, I have no obligation to explain.”

Su Yi bit her lip. “That incident was my fault. If you want to get back at me for it, I’ll accept that.”

She stepped forward and hugged him tightly from behind. “Ah Chen, let’s get married. For you, I’m willing to give up dancing…”

Xu Yancheng patted her arm soothingly. “Don’t be silly. Go home for now—I have some business to take care of.”

“Then you have to promise me you’ll never contact Lin Lu again.” Su Yi hesitated, then added, “Not even a glance.”

Xu Yancheng turned to her. “When did I ever sneak a glance?”

Su Yi replied confidently, “At the stables that day—I saw everything.”

Xu Yancheng squeezed her hand. “Alright, I promise. As long as you’re by my side, I won’t look at anyone else.”

Finally satisfied, Su Yi left.

Xu Yancheng opened that group of photos again. The first showed Lin Lu being pulled into the restroom; the man’s face wasn’t visible—just a black suit, white shirt, similar height. It was nearly impossible to tell if it was him or not.

The following photos showed his face, so everyone naturally assumed the man was him.

“Interesting.” A faint smile played on his lips. “Very well, let’s play along.”