CHAPTER 117: CHAPTER 114: BIRTHDAY STEAK

At noon the next day

Yuwei, Meixuan, Zixuan, and Yang Ni went to the cafeteria to eat after training.

"Student Yuwei, this is from Mr. Long. He ordered this steak and dessert for you from ’Dream Paris’ restaurant." A staff member walked over and placed the items on the table.

"Oh my god! What is this?" Zixuan was the first to speak. Although her face showed a sweet smile, her eyes were filled with tension and jealousy.

"Mr. Long Sponsor, this is..." Yuwei was also very surprised.

But she didn’t think Long Zitao intended to play the game of teacher-student romance. Even if he wanted to, the production team would never allow him to act recklessly.

"Mr. Long said today is your birthday. Yesterday, he ate the beef jerky you all shared, so today he wants to make up for it." The staff member explained while placing a candle in the middle of the cake.

"That was my beef jerky!" Zixuan exclaimed helplessly.

With the crisp sound of a lighter, a warm flame flickered to life.

Everyone around clapped their hands and started singing a birthday song for Yuwei.

"Thank you, Mr. Long Sponsor, thank you all!"

Yuwei’s tears rolled down as she bowed to express her gratitude with happiness and excitement.

Zixuan’s own tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes, but she felt deeply wronged and heartbroken.

The steak, the little dessert, and Mr. Long Sponsor’s sentiment should have been hers.

The other girls were also filled with envy and jealousy, never expecting Yuwei to be treated so favorably.

"Yuwei is just beautiful."

"Yeah! Look at her face, her figure, and that..."

"Yezi’s eyes are quite striking too. Her aura is great; boys like this kind of type."

"Galaxy’s little idols are the best at flirting. Once their fans fall for them, it’s hard to climb out."

In that moment, the chatter exploded, and everyone began discussing Yuwei’s appearance, figure, temperament, and how she managed to attract men.

"You’re all too shallow. What’s the use of attracting men? Ultimately, a woman must rely on herself." The usually inconspicuous Wang Na spoke up disdainfully.

Upon hearing this, those close to her involuntarily curled their lips, and one busybody outright mocked, "Manager Wang, your talent is enough to make you stand out."

Hidden beneath this statement was the implication: Look at you, dark-skinned and overweight—finding a man to rely on would still require someone willing to want you!

"Manager Wang is a model of independence for women. We have to learn from her." A girl taking the sweet route couldn’t resist throwing in a sarcastic jab.

Wang Na didn’t respond, masking her fury with a smile as she left, though inside she was raging. She understood what these girls meant.

In truth, she too aspired to follow the glamorous and sexy path, but her physical attributes were not up to par. She could only attempt to break through with an alternative and feminist image.

However, she forgot that the fundamental rule for survival here was getting people to like you. For them, male fans were even more vital than female fans.

Because male fans bolstered long-term market sustainability with high levels of loyalty, and once they became fans, they rarely unfollowed.

"Sister Bingbing, your teammate is quite popular!" Qingyu smiled at the latter beside her.

"Yuwei is ambitious and won’t be swayed by things like this." Lu Bingbing responded flatly.

"Long Zitao isn’t just anyone. His family belongs to the top tier of Deep City’s elite class, with their private luxury jet and entire buildings of offices." Qingyu remarked.

Lu Bingbing stayed silent. For these little idols, if they don’t achieve fame, for most, the best outcome would be marrying their "sponsors."

If Long Zitao genuinely showed interest in Yuwei, she might actually be tempted.

"Yinghan, why do I feel like so many people seem to be mad at Sister Yuwei?" Fangxin quietly asked Chen Yinghan beside her.

"Your feeling isn’t wrong. They’re jealous." Chen Yinghan remarked without reservation.

"Why would Mr. Long go out of his way to give these things to Sister Yuwei? Could it be that he really likes her?" Fangxin felt a pang of envy and couldn’t help but pout.

Chen Yinghan noticed that something seemed off with the latter, frowning as she said, "That’s something you’d have to ask Long Zitao himself."

Over there, Yuwei picked up the dining knife and divided the steak into four portions.

"Today is my birthday. Thanks to Mr. Long Sponsor for gifting me this steak. I’ll treat it as a cake and share it with my roommates—we share blessings together."

This move even left the cameramen marveling at Yuwei’s high emotional intelligence.

By doing this, she could avoid rumors and speculation.

It also showed that she had a singular focus on being an idol.

Lastly, it demonstrated the strong bonds she had with her roommates, which implied good social connections.

"Yuwei, is there any for me, even though I’m in the next-door dorm?" Yang Ni chimed in.

"Of course." Yuwei cut her own portion of steak in half again.

"Then let’s celebrate Yuwei’s birthday together!" Meixuan said with mixed emotions.

In the control room, Yang Xiaoyue watched the scene unfold. Her smile grew wider at the corner of her mouth.

A show’s greatest fear is a lack of drama; only continuous drama keeps viewers engaged.

Night fell as expected.

In a lavish mansion somewhere in Shenghai, Wu Jingxiang, dressed in sleepwear, was sipping on red wine.

On a Persian carpet nearby lay a plump beauty.

However, this woman’s body was covered in bloodstains, and her somewhat pretty face was streaked with dried tears.

"Long Zitao, huh!" Jingxiang muttered coldly, chewing over the name.

She knew everything about what had happened with Yuwei at the Natural Idol program team.

She was already aware of what Long Zitao had done today.

She had investigated his background thoroughly.

"Cousin, keep a close eye on the program team. Don’t let that Long get any opportunities." Jingxiang called Wu Hao.

"Got it!" Wu Hao knew there was no convincing her otherwise.

"The woman you brought me today—find her a role and dismiss her."

Jingxiang drained her wine glass in one gulp, her eyes filled with malice as she rose and approached.

Galaxy dormitory

Yu Qingjia and Jiaqi were livestreaming on Pocket.

Behind them was a large orange cat plushie, its thick neck adorned with a quirky rainbow scarf.

"Sister Qingjia, why are people saying you’re falling for someone else in Pocket?" Jiaqi asked while eating ice cream, joking lightly.

"How would I know what they’re talking about?" Yu Qingjia pretended to be annoyed.

"Because you previously had a romance with the team captain." The comments were filled with variations of this message.

"No way, we were only very, very close friends!" Yu Qingjia began loudly defending herself.

But the comments were filled with accusations that Yu Qingjia was in love with the team captain.

"Why is my livestream filled with the team captain? Did someone hack my account?" Jiaqi pretended to be jealous.

"These high-tech gadgets were never really your thing!" Yu Qingjia teased, laughing.

"You’re the worst!" Jiaqi started pouting sweetly in a childlike manner.

"Pretending, pretending—everyone in Galaxy knows you’re a tomboy." Yu Qingjia glared at her.

The comments were instantly flooded with bizarre messages, all claiming Jiaqi was trying to take advantage of Yu Qingjia.

Right now, Jiaqi and Yu Qingjia were actively pairing as a fan-proclaimed CP to gather followers.

Yu Qingjia acted like the "straight guy," while Jiaqi played the "Taiwan."

They followed the trope of the humble "queer junior" admiring their "straight senior," constantly fawning over them.

She even helped Yu Qingjia collect votes, and to make these actions seem real, Jiaqi prepared a prop—a large orange cat plushie.

She let her "dedicated fans" sneak photographs of the "Les" icon on her phone.

In her alternative Weibo account, there were deliberate implications and use of LGBTQ+ hashtags.

Even her wardrobe changed. The nail art was gone, and her shoes were now all simple white flats.

At this moment, a comment floated across the screen: "Li Jiaqi, do you even deserve Yuwei?"

Jiaqi knew this was from the CP’s hardcore fans of her pairing with Yuwei. Seeing this ID made her feel heartbroken, but she maintained her poker face.

She couldn’t show any longing for Yuwei; otherwise, the persona she had painstakingly built would completely collapse.

"Yu Qingjia, run away quickly! Jiaqi is a player, always flirting around. Before, it was Yuwei, then the team captain, and now you."

"Run fast—stay away from the ’heartbreaker’!"

As such comments multiplied, Jiaqi and Yu Qingjia recognized that their personas were almost successfully established. Fans always got too deeply immersed in the act.

"Jiaqi, do you know when the team captain’s recorded program will release?" someone asked in Pocket.

"I don’t know either. Ever since the team captain went in, we’ve lost contact." Jiaqi said.

Yu Qingjia was also deeply worried about Lu Bingbing, but the company remained entirely tight-lipped.