Chapter 1 The Fallen Child Star 1
The old cell phone was playing an apology video -
the boy in the video was about sixteen or seventeen years old, wearing a yellow pullover. The sweatshirt was too loose, making his figure look even thinner.
He kept his head down, and it seemed that someone called him, and he raised his head in panic, revealing a haggard and tired face.
In the barrage, the crowd was furious.
[Xu Weiheng acted like a big shot on the set and damaged the crew's property, apologize now! ]
[When everyone beat Xu Yiyuan and spread rumors about Xu Yiyuan, did you apologize to Xu Yiyuan! ]
[You reap what you sow. When you broke the reporter's camera, did you ever think that you would end up like this! 】
As everyone expected, after a long silence, the boy bent his back a little bit, and repeated mechanically over and over again in a hoarse and pale voice.
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry..."
However, this large-scale condemnation still did not end.
New accusations came again.
[Can the harm you caused to my brother be compensated by a few words of apology? Haha, you have no sincerity at all! ]
[Xu Weiheng get out of the entertainment industry! ]
[Xu Weiheng quit the entertainment industry!!! ]
***
Just when the boy said "I'm sorry" for the fourth time, Yao Rong, the owner of the mobile phone, opened his eyes.
She was sitting in a long-distance bus. Besides her, there were only the driver, an elderly couple, and a couple in the car, and they were all sitting in the front row, so the original body sitting in the back row felt at ease to play the music.
Pausing this video that she had watched no less than ten times, Yao Rong turned her head.
With the help of the reflection in the car window, she could see what she looked like at the moment.
The original body had very good bone structure. She must have not had a good sleep for several days. Her skin was dark yellow and heavy, and her eyes were indigo. In addition, her skin was dark from the sun, making her look several years older than her actual age.
Her back was slightly hunched, her hair was messy and disheveled, and the ends of her hair were dry and yellow. She must have been busy in life and didn't spend much time taking care of herself.
After briefly analyzing the original body's situation, Yao Rong called the system in her mind.
[Ding! Hello host, I am your mother 001 system dedicated to serving you! ]
Yao Rong is a tasker of the Space-Time Administration. She has been working in the female supporting department. Recently, the Space-Time Administration has opened a new department and strongly invited Yao Rong to come and take charge.
She will travel into the world of the book and become the mother of cannon fodder, saving their lives and making them the protagonists of their own lives.
"Send the plot." Yao Rong reminded, and began to receive all the memories and emotions of the original body.
The original body was also called Yao Rong.
She had a failed marriage when she was young, and gave birth to a son with her ex-husband, named Xu Weiheng.
When Xu Weiheng was three years old, the original body divorced Xu's father, and the child was awarded to Xu's father.
Not long after, Xu's father reorganized his family.
The woman brought a child who was about the same age as Xu Weiheng, named Xu Yiyuan.
The two children lived under the same roof, but they were in completely opposite situations.
Xu Yiyuan's needs always came first. He could do poorly in exams, make any incredible requests, and cry as much as he wanted. The education he received since kindergarten was the best.
However, Xu Weiheng's needs would always be ignored.
He was a transparent person living in this family.
He couldn't even perform better than Xu Yiyuan. As long as he was better than Xu Yiyuan in some aspect, he would be treated coldly by his stepmother for several days in a row.
Slowly, Xu Weiheng learned to hide his edge.
After receiving enough elite education, as he grew older, Xu Yiyuan became a child of other people's families, and Xu Weiheng also changed from being a hidden talent to being really clumsy.
But Xu Weiheng also had a dazzling experience.
At the age of six, Xu Weiheng was selected by the well-known domestic director Director Chen and invited to participate in a doomsday disaster film called "2050", in which he played a child named "Xingxing".
After the movie was released, "2050" became popular, and "Xingxing" also became popular.
Countless netizens shed tears in the cinema because of "Xingxing's" childish words, and the most sharp-tongued media also praised him generously, saying that his eyes were so smart that they seemed to be able to speak. Director Chen even praised him again and again, saying that Xu Weiheng was the "Xingxing" in his mind.
Perhaps in order to grasp the few good moments in life, after graduating from junior high school, Xu Weiheng chose to enter the entertainment industry.
With a face inherited from his mother and experience in "2050", Xu Weiheng attracted a lot of attention when he first appeared in front of the public.
However, when Xu Yiyuan also entered the entertainment industry, things began to change.
The two took on the same outdoor variety show.
Xu Yiyuan has a cheerful temperament and overflowing talents. In the background of Xu Yiyuan, Xu Weiheng seemed like a waste that would only drag the team down.
After a few episodes of the variety show, Xu Weiheng was scolded more and more.
As the popularity declined, the notices Xu Weiheng received were worse and worse.
Seeing that Xu Weiheng's popularity began to decline, the agency began to frantically offer him bad films and notices in order to squeeze out his commercial value.
At this time, Director Chen of "2050" invited Xu Weiheng to film "2050Ⅱ".
He played the second male lead and Xu Yiyuan played the first male lead.
Ignoring Xu Weiheng's objections, the agency took the role for him without authorization and used the contract to control Xu Weiheng.
Xu Weiheng had no choice but to join the crew to film.
But when "2050Ⅱ", which was said to have taken ten years and invested 300 million yuan, was released, it failed both at the box office and in reputation.
Faced with the public's abuse and ridicule, the film's creative team urgently held a press conference.
At the press conference, Director Chen, whom Xu Weiheng regarded as his mentor, openly accused Xu Weiheng of not cooperating with the crew's publicity; acting like a big shot on the set, slowing down the crew's filming progress; and breaking the reporter's camera.
Xu's father echoed Director Chen's words and added that when he was at home, Xu Weiheng had beaten Xu Yiyuan more than once.
The accusation from his biological father added to its credibility.
Xu Weiheng's best friend in the circle directly posted a Weibo: [This time I stand with Xu Yiyuan. ]
Mentor, father, and good friend all pushed Xu Weiheng into a desperate situation.
Under the strong request of the agency, the 16-year-old boy was forced to stand in front of the camera and apologize for the unfounded charges over and over again.
And his agent, looking at the rising popularity in the live broadcast room, held the contract signed with the live broadcast platform and showed a satisfied smile.
Afterwards, Xu Weiheng disappeared for a long time, and the next time he appeared in front of the public was on his birthday.
He plucked up his courage and started a live broadcast. Facing the camera, he sang the birthday song alone, blew candles, and cut the cake.
While eating the cake, Xu Weiheng glanced at the bullet screen and said with a smile: "This is the first time I celebrate my birthday with so many people. Can you say happy birthday to me?"
However, the bullet screen was full of curses.
[Xu Weiheng, how can you still have the face to appear in front of the public? Do you want to use your popularity to make money?]
[Xu Weiheng, why don't you just die?]
Similar remarks filled the screen like a screen swipe.
Xu Weiheng smiled again, lowered his head and stopped talking, ate the cake in silence, and turned off the live broadcast.
Five minutes later, he stood in the night and jumped down from the top of the company.
Like stars falling from the night sky.
He did not leave any last words, so no one knew whether this live broadcast he overcame his fear to open was his farewell to the world or the last self-rescue of a drowning person.
...
The bus jolted violently.
Yao Rong, who had just received the plot, subconsciously clenched her phone, but accidentally clicked on the screen, causing the paused video to play again.
This apology video was uploaded at eight o'clock last night.
Yao Rong stared at Xu Weiheng.
He said sorry over and over again.
But for some reason, she looked at him, as if she saw a desperate soul, saying to her again and again -
save me.
[Ding, the plot has been transmitted, mission: save Xu Weiheng and make him feel happy.]
[The system detects that Xu Weiheng's self-destruction value is 90, please act as soon as possible.]
***
The long-distance passenger bus is still driving.
Its final destination is City A where Xu Weiheng is.
Yao Rong looked down at the time. There was still half an hour before the train arrived. She leaned back and began to think about the current situation.
Since the divorce, the original body has returned to her hometown in City D, a poor small county town.
Before Xu's father remarried, he once called the original body.
On the phone, Xu's father warned the original body not to disturb his new life by going to his house, because his new wife would be unhappy, and the original body as a mother would make Xu Weiheng feel inferior. He is Xu Weiheng's biological father, and he did all this for the good of the child.
Afterwards, Xu's father promised her that he could provide Xu Weiheng with the best life and the best education.
After a lot of beatings, Xu's father hung up the phone.
Later, the original body still went to City A, but found that the Xu family had moved away and Xu's father had changed jobs.
She couldn't find Xu's family, couldn't see Xu Weiheng, and over the years, only the few photos of Xu Weiheng sent by Xu's father every year could comfort her.
Some time ago, she learned from the Internet that Xu Weiheng had become a star, and she had been following his situation, and naturally saw the netizens' abuse of Xu Weiheng.
That kind of vicious abuse made the original body feel very painful. She didn't know how to help Xu Weiheng, so she could only clumsily confront netizens on the Internet.
Since the incident of "2050Ⅱ", the original body has never been able to sleep well.
Last night, she was the first to see Xu Weiheng's apology live.
So without any hesitation, she simply packed her luggage, went to the bus station to buy the fastest ticket, and rushed from City D to City A.
But the original body didn't know where Xu Weiheng lived.
Yao Rong put her cell phone into her coat pocket, rummaged through her bulging backpack, and found a rubber band, which she tied up her hair with.
She poured some water into a tissue and used it to wipe the tears that had already dried on her face.
After a simple tidying up, Yao Rong finally looked less frightened.
"System." Yao Rong asked the system in her heart, "Can you help me locate Xu Weiheng's current location?"
[Of course no problem, host, please wait a moment, I'll scan it first.]
This wait lasted until the long-distance bus arrived at the station. Yao Rong got off the bus with her bag on her back and looked up at the hustle and bustle around her.
The system sent a string of information, including Xu Weiheng's current specific address, as well as his phone number and email information.
"Thank you."
Yao Rong thanked the system, walked out of the bus station, waved for a taxi, and reported the address of the community.
Half an hour later, Yao Rong arrived at her destination.
The community where Xu Weiheng lives is an old community, and there are many shops next to the community.
Yao Rong thought about it, turned, and went to a small restaurant not far in front to pack a steamed dumpling and a bowl of white porridge, and bought a few side dishes.
When she walked out of the small restaurant, she happened to see a flower shop next door, so Yao Rong walked in and bought a bouquet of flowers.
She carried the food and held the flowers, and entered the community after completing the visit registration.
When she approached the building where Xu Weiheng lived, Yao Rong paused and frowned.
Behind the flowerbed, behind the tree, in the car, all these places have people hiding.
It is obvious that they are paparazzi watching Xu Weiheng.
Yao Rong looked up and glanced at a room on the ninth floor.
The curtains there were tightly closed, and no light could penetrate.
She did not rush forward to chase the paparazzi away. The most important thing now was to check on Xu Weiheng's situation.
The self-destruction value of 90 was too high, which meant that Xu Weiheng could collapse at any time.
Three minutes later, Yao Rong took the elevator to the door.
She rang the doorbell several times and knocked on the door several times, but there was no movement from inside the house.
Yao Rong had no choice but to call Xu Weiheng, but no one answered. She sent
a text message again, but it still fell into the sea.
"How is Xu Weiheng now? Did he do anything extreme or just fell asleep?" Yao Rong asked the system.
[…Uh, he got drunk and fell asleep.] After a while, the system gave the answer.
Yao Rong breathed a sigh of relief, at least there was no danger, but she couldn't just leave him alone and wait outside until he sobered up and opened the door.
Yao Rong was about to choose the first option between picking the lock directly and asking someone to open the door. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind. She squatted down and touched the upper left corner of the back of the carpet. Sure enough, she felt a key-shaped protrusion.
This method of storing keys is a habit that Yao Rong has always kept. When Xu Weiheng was a child, she once told Xu Weiheng about this.
Yao Rong just touched it with the mentality of giving it a try, but she didn't expect...
to find it.
She lowered her eyes, used the knife on the key ring to cut open the layer of cloth that sewed the key, and successfully took out the key.
As soon as the door was opened, a strong smell of alcohol hit her face.
The small apartment was pitch dark, and the curtains were tightly drawn, not even a ray of moonlight or lamplight could get in.
Yao Rong fumbled around the door and turned on the dimmest wall lamp.
With the faint light, she could see the empty beer cans all over the floor.
How much alcohol must have been drunk?
Not seeing anyone on the sofa, Yao Rong went straight into the bedroom.
Strangely, there was no one in the bedroom either.
When she returned to the living room, her right foot accidentally kicked a beer can on the floor.
The "crackling" sound was particularly noisy in the dark night.
Something seemed to move suddenly in the gap between the sofa and the wall.
Yao Rong stepped over the beer can and walked to the corner of the sofa.
Sure enough, Xu Weiheng was hiding here.
He sat paralyzed on the ground, his legs bent, his hands wrapped around his knees, and the 1.8-meter-tall man almost shrunk into a small ball.
This is an extremely defensive and insecure posture.
Yao Rong squatted down and looked carefully at Xu Weiheng's thin face.
He was still wearing the same clothes he wore during the live broadcast last night.
Most of the makeup on his face was smudged, and there was a large black smudge at the end of his eyes.
His brows were tightly furrowed, and the corners of his lips were tightly tightened, as if he couldn't find a moment of peace even in his dreams.
"Why is there a drunk big cat hiding in this corner?"
Yao Rong touched Xu Weiheng's head, put the things in his hand on the table, returned to Xu Weiheng empty-handed, gathered a little strength, and picked Xu Weiheng up.
In fact, Yao Rong could see that Xu Weiheng was very light.
But it was not until she picked him up effortlessly that Yao Rong realized how thin he was.
After putting Xu Weiheng gently on the sofa, Yao Rong went back to the room and got a quilt to cover him.
She originally wanted to open the window for ventilation, but after taking a look at the tightly covered curtains, Yao Rong first turned on the air conditioner with the remote control, and then went to the bathroom to turn on the exhaust fan, so that the smell of alcohol in the room could be dispersed faster.
Yao Rong also cleaned up all the wine bottles on the floor, and found a few vases, filled them with water, and put the flowers she bought in them.
After doing these things, Yao Rong went into the bathroom again, took the makeup remover and cotton pads, and wanted to help Xu Weiheng remove the makeup on his face.
When she returned to the living room again, Xu Weiheng's sleeping position had changed from lying flat to curled up again.
Yao Rong had to use a rather awkward position to help Xu Weiheng wipe off the smudged makeup.
Xu Weiheng didn't know whether it was because he was too drunk or because he hadn't had a good rest for too long. Yao Rong's movements were not light, but he was not woken up from beginning to end.
Xu Weiheng slept until the next morning.
He opened his eyes and gradually regained consciousness.
Xu Weiheng supported his forehead with his right hand, lifted the quilt on his body and sat up, looking at the brand new living room, a little dazed.
If his memory was correct, he should have been drinking all day yesterday, how could the house be so clean.
Who prepared the flowers swaying slowly on the coffee table and at the corner of the dining table?
Looking down, he saw that the sweatshirt that smelled of alcohol had been changed into comfortable cotton pajamas.
Only his assistant and agent had the key to his apartment, but his agent was kind enough not to exploit him.
It looked like the assistant did it.
Xu Weiheng frowned. Not only was he not moved, but he felt annoyed and irritable that his private territory was violated.
When did he say that he would have someone to take care of him! He was acting on his
own.
At this moment, a fragrance wafted from the kitchen.
The stomach that had not eaten for a long time was stimulated by the smell and began to ache slightly.
Xu Weiheng's stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
Xu Weiheng stood up, sullenly looking, and strode towards the kitchen. He opened the half-closed kitchen door forcefully
and met eyes with Yao Rong who was holding a bowl of noodles.
Through the mist rising from the noodles, Xu Weiheng looked at Yao Rong in doubt.
Who is this woman?
Wasn't it assistant Zhou Miao who came?
What was even stranger was that he actually felt that she looked familiar, and faintly eerily familiar.
But after thinking about it carefully, Xu Weiheng was very sure that such a person had never appeared in his memory.
But... her gaze at him was very strange, with a kind of soothing and clarity that could calm him down instantly, and a kind of gentleness and peace that made his nose sore.
Being stared at like this, Xu Weiheng's expression softened.
He rubbed his head which was stinging from the hangover, and asked casually as he walked out, "Are you the housekeeper hired by Zhou Miao?"
"No."
"No!?" Xu Weiheng was surprised, alert in his heart, turned half of his body and stared at her.
Yao Rong looked at him calmly and gently.
"Weiheng, I am your mother."