Chapter 11 Rejection

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

The soft, moist touch on his lips made Yu Xingye freeze, and then he abruptly pulled back.

His voice changed, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and a hint of panic he himself didn't realize, "You...do you know what you're doing?!"

The girl across from me had eyes that held an unfading starlight, and the affection within them was so open and honest that it was almost domineering.

He awkwardly avoided the intense gaze, responding somewhat incoherently:

"You're just too excited! Because I'm your idol, and you feel guilty about what happened just now... This isn't true! I... I just see you as a little sister! What happened just now..."

He pointed to his lips, then felt incredibly awkward about the gesture, his hand freezing in mid-air. "...You can't do that! Do you understand?"

The air seemed to freeze.

In the dim light at the corner of the stairs, the words "I only see you as a sister" struck the tiny flame that had just ignited between the two of them like a block of ice.

The light in Ling Wei's eyes dimmed little by little as he hastily denied it and defined her as his "sister," eventually settling into a silent wound and confusion.

The atmosphere on set subtly changed.

You Xingye no longer teases Ling Wei as often as before.

Ling Wei also fell silent, spending her breaks processing her experimental data on her computer.

The chemistry between the two during filming was practically nonexistent.

The director, feeling helpless, told them to adjust their mindset and that he would shoot some scrap footage first.

Moreover, at this very moment, a bombshell report suddenly broke online that "Yu Xingye's hit song 'Homecoming' is suspected of plagiarism." The other party made a firm claim, citing the release date of the so-called "original work," which was indeed a month earlier than the creation date of "Homecoming."

Public opinion was in an uproar, and doubts arose everywhere.

[Haha, I knew there couldn't be a genius like that; they just hired a ghostwriter.]

[Those celebrity fanboys, aren't they ashamed? They laugh all day long, but I haven't seen them lay an egg (go ahead and hit me)]

Brother Liu was in a complete mess. His team held an emergency meeting and wrote a whole stack of public relations drafts, but they were struggling to find any crucial self-proving evidence.

"Without any initial creative traces, it's difficult to prove your success. How could such a coincidence happen?"

This made him so anxious that he developed two large blisters on his lips.

"This guy is obviously after you, you... snap out of it!!"

Brother Liu roared, "What time is it? This ancestor is still daydreaming!"

Yu Xingye snapped back to reality, coughed lightly, and picked up his water glass to cover up his misunderstanding: "Cough, I'm listening, you're right."

Brother Liu rolled his eyes. There were more important things to do right now. He felt that if this plagiarism stain wasn't removed, it would affect You Xingye's singing career.

Yu Xingye said he didn't care, the innocent are innocent, and he'd fight back even if Yu Xingye accused him of plagiarism.

"Then let me sing another 'original' song next." His creative output is endless.

Brother Liu was speechless, but there really wasn't a better way at the moment.

Is there really nothing we can do but wait for this matter to escalate?

Later, things took a turn for the better.

Brother Liu excitedly announced that a kind person had provided a video, which was filmed on a noisy street abroad.

In the video, young Yu Xingye is sitting on the steps by the roadside, holding a guitar, with sunlight falling on the hair on his forehead.

He plucked the strings and hummed the melody, which was the prototype of the most core and moving chorus of "The Way Home"!

The background noise was loud, and passersby hurried by, with few stopping to observe.

The video's shooting time watermark clearly shows that it was released a full six months earlier than the so-called "original work."

This was practically irrefutable proof of a comeback, and the video was quickly released by the PR team.

Public opinion instantly reversed, the plagiarism accusation was firmly refuted, and the other party was left speechless.

Yu Xingye also saw the video and was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

Of course he remembers that day!

That was an impromptu street performance he did on a whim while studying vocal music at a music academy abroad, before he became famous.

People came and went at the time, and no one was interested in his Asian face. He played until his throat was dry, but there were few listeners.

Unexpectedly, it was recorded. Before this, various videos of Yu Xingye from different periods of his life had been unearthed. If it had been posted on his personal account earlier, it could have attracted a lot of traffic.

This person didn't use it for personal purposes; instead, he packed it up and sent it directly to Brother Liu, providing timely assistance.

Even Yu Xingye, who has a large fan base, couldn't help but be moved: "Ask him if he has any wishes, and we will do our best to fulfill them."

Brother Liu's eyes darted around, avoiding looking at You Xingye: "Um... well, okay, I'll ask."

Yu Xingye narrowed his eyes, sensing that things weren't so simple.

"What's with your reaction? Do I know this person?"

Brother Liu had a bad feeling. Was his intuition really that sharp?

At this moment, You Xingye stood up, placed his hand on Liu Ge's table, and an imposing aura emanated from him.

Who is it?

"Yes... Vivi."

Ling Wei was on a graduate exchange program abroad when she learned of You Xingye's location. Out of a sense of duty as a devoted fan, she went to bump into him.

As for the system's curiosity, why didn't it show its face in front of You Xingye back then and win his favor?

Ling Wei said: Men will only slow down my graduation.

She would take time to maintain her public image and keep some useful things, even if she didn't need them. Men could be flirted with at any time, but the time for learning was gone forever.

System: 6, as expected of you.

"Was it you who filmed the video?"

Ling Wei, who was chatting with the system, was pulled away by You Xingye, who looked at her with disbelief.

Ling Wei was taken aback, then nodded.

Instead of rushing to take out her phone as usual, she slowly unlocked the screen, tapping the keyboard lightly, one word at a time, as if each word needed careful consideration.

The light from the screen illuminated her lowered eyelashes, obscuring her emotions.

After a few seconds, she slowly turned her phone screen towards Yu Xingye.

During that time, I wasn't feeling well and was on an exchange program abroad.

I happened to pass by and heard your singing.

It was so heartwarming; it gave me strength.

Yu Xingye was deeply moved, vaguely recalling that someone had stopped and listened to him the whole time he was playing and singing.

He was wearing a hoodie and cargo pants, dressed in a very street style, and with a mask on, he thought it was a man.

He played with increasing enthusiasm, and the other person listened to the whole thing. In the end, he wanted to get to know the other person after the game, but by the time he packed up his guitar, the other person had already disappeared into the crowd.

Then I recalled those clear, bright peach blossom eyes, and they overlapped with the person in front of me.

A mix of emotions welled up inside him, and he was about to speak when Ling Wei's finger twitched again, and the last line of text slowly slid out at the bottom of the screen:

I became a fan of yours back then.

This statement is a belated declaration, tinged with distance.

It explains the past, but also clearly draws a line between "fans" and "idols".

Also, I'm so, so sorry about that time I forcibly kissed you.

I thought about it afterward, and I realized that it was very disrespectful.

Now I can distinguish between idol worship and real feelings. Don't worry, I will never do anything inappropriate to you again! I'm sorry!

She even bowed solemnly.