Chapter 236
Lin Jiji frowned. "We were just seen riding a bike together. It’s not like we have to make an official announcement, is it?"
The assistant chimed in, "Brother Ji’s popularity is on the rise right now. Making an official announcement with another female star at a time like this would have a huge impact on him. Sister Rose, we can’t go down that road."
Sister Rose sneered. "So now you’re scared? Then why didn’t you listen to me in the first place? Why did you insist on sneaking around and dating her?"
"I... I was captivated by her."
"’Captivated?’ I think you were just lusting after her, weren’t you?"
Seeing Sister Rose’s expression darken, Lin Jiji said hurriedly, "I’m sorry, Sister Rose. I know I was wrong. From now on, I’ll listen to you about everything. But you have to help me get through this.
"I like her, sure, but that’s all it is. I never planned on being with her for long, so I definitely can’t make an official announcement. Forget about whether the fans would accept it—those investors would kill me."
"You never planned on being with her for long? You just wanted to mess around?"
"Yes!"
She chuckled. "Do you have any idea that a single statement like that could get you canceled in an instant?"
"Huh?" Lin Jiji froze, not quite understanding what she meant.
Sister Rose didn’t explain. Instead, she asked him, "Do you know why I tried to stop you two from dating?"
"Weren’t you just worried it would affect my career?"
"That’s only part of it. More importantly, Xiaoyue has a backer who even *I* can’t afford to offend. While this person probably doesn’t care who she dates, if he ever found out you were just playing with her feelings, he would knock you from the top of the world to rock bottom in a heartbeat."
Hearing this, the color drained from Lin Jiji’s face. He didn’t even think to ask who Xiaoyue’s backer was. Instead, he grabbed Sister Rose’s hand in a panic. "Sister, you have to help me."
"If I weren’t going to help you, I wouldn’t have come looking for you. But for me to help, I first need to know where things stand between you two."
"Us? There’s... nothing to report. You might not know this, but she’s really conservative. Even though she agreed to date me, she said she wanted to ’test’ me. She’ll only let us get closer once I’ve ’completely satisfied’ her."
"So, you haven’t slept with her?"
"No! I was actually planning to find a chance to... you know... today. But we didn’t even make it to the place I booked before the crash happened. Forget sleeping with her, we haven’t even kissed yet."
His voice was thick with frustration.
But Sister Rose just smiled. "You haven’t slept with her? Then there’s still room to smooth things over. Here’s the plan: we’ll go to the hospital to see her. In the meantime, I’ll contact Xiaoyue’s agent and her backer. To minimize the damage to everyone, we’ll get our stories straight. You two are just good friends.
"From the angle of a man protecting a woman, you’ll go in there and say all the right things. She was knocked unconscious in the crash, right? So she doesn’t know what really happened. Just paint yourself as some kind of hero. Make sure she still has a good impression of you and feels grateful. Then, while she’s feeling all that, you can suggest breaking up but staying friends."
Lin Jiji thought over Sister Rose’s plan for a moment, then started laying on the flattery. "You’re incredible, Sister Rose. You came up with a solution for everything just like that."
The assistant chimed in, "Of course! If she weren’t a genius, how could our Sister Rose have become the top dog in the industry?"
Sister Rose shot them a look. "Cut the flattery. I can come up with the solutions, but only if you two cooperate properly.
"Also, when it comes to this car accident and your business with Xiaoyue, don’t you dare hide anything from me. Even the tiniest overlooked detail could be enough to completely ruin you."
The assistant, knowing full well the weight of her words, nodded and asked, "Brother Ji, think carefully. Is there anything else you haven’t told us?"
Lin Jiji scratched his head. "I’ve told you everything about Xiaoyue. But about what happened during the accident... there was a small incident."
"What was it?"
"After the crash happened, one of the rescue workers pissed me off. When I shot back at him, some fans saw it. Now they’re trying to find the guy, wanting to help me get some payback."
Hearing this, the assistant puffed up with indignation. "You were injured after such a dangerous crash, and instead of trying to rescue or comfort you, he pissed you off? That guy is unbelievable."
"I know, right? He even called me an idiot. He just let me stay pinned under the wreckage. It was only after I begged him that he reluctantly moved the stuff that was crushing me. After that, I still had to crawl out from under the car by myself."
"For someone like that, just letting the fans condemn him isn’t enough," the assistant said resentfully. "Sister Rose, I suggest we go straight to that rescue worker’s superior, chew the guy out right in front of him, and make him apologize to Brother Ji!"