What Xiang Ning could not look past was actually not his current relationship with Apple Instead, it was regarding the past, regarding why Xu Tingsheng had lied to her back then.

“You just need to tell me why you lied to me. It’s actually fine. It was nothing initially. I even asked you about it more than once. Still, why is it that all of you had to lie to me?”

“Why did even Big Sis Apple have to act close to me, pretend to like me? Is it because I’m still little and so very good to fool? I feel so much like a fool now!”

“Just like that time when she performed at your school’s freshman welcoming party. Now that I think about it, she was actually hugging you and crying, right? Then, when I appeared, she pretended to be celebrating, smiling and coming to hug me as well.”

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

“Uncle, Little Xiang Ning’s very scared now. I already don’t know just what is real and what is fake.”

Xu Tingsheng lowered his head and pondered for a while.

He looked up, “Xiang Ning, I’ll tell you everything now. Decide only after you’ve finished listening, alright?”

“Alright,” Xiang Ning nodded.

Xu Tingsheng started off from him carrying her beneath the street lights, spoke of the Ferris Wheel at the start of their first year of university, then distributing flyers, returning to Libei, meeting Apple’s grandma, Apple’s initial debut in showbiz and depression, that concert included.

He even spoke of things that had happened after Xiang Ning met Apple.

After listening to that, the crying Xiang Ning was silent for a while, “Why do you like me then? Why not Big Sis Apple? ...You’re not allowed to say it’s just because. I was only fourteen then.”

“I also don’t feel like I’m so good that I’m worthy of you to do that.”

Xiang Ning gazed at Xu Tingsheng with her big eyes, actually really hoping that Uncle could produce a satisfactory answer that could set her mind at ease.

Still, how could Xu Tingsheng give such an answer? Could he say: ‘Xiang Ning...actually, we were already in love in a previous life. In that previous life, I was another Xu Tingsheng, but you still loved me...I let you down, but you were waiting for me all along’?

His silence caused Xiang Ning to feel uneasy.

As his phone screen flashed, Xiang Ning said, “Answer your call.”

Xu Tingsheng saw the number of Apple’s manager, Li Juan, and many missed calls from Apple herself.

The call connected.

“Hello? Is anything the matter?” Xu Tingsheng asked.

“Boss Xu, take a look at Apple’s Weibo. Then, if it’s convenient, can you persuade her? She’s changed her password. I can’t log in...also, she stubbornly refuses to change it and is listening to no one...” Li Juan sounded very frantic over the phone.

Xu Tingsheng and Xiang Ning entered the study together. Opening the computer, they accessed Apple’s Weibo page.

There were several consecutive posts containing thousands of characters...

Apple was literally ‘self-destructing’.

She spoke of when her parents had separated and she had gone with her mother to Shenghai. In order to seek approval and protection, she had acted the part of a loose girl and followed a gang of hooligans. She even showed a photo of herself with her hair dyed, a cigarette in her mouth.

She also spoke of Xu Tingsheng. Here, she actually lied a little, but only to help him hide the truth from Xiang Ning.

Still, she admitted her entanglement with him-she called her relationship with him during that time an entanglement. She said that it was precisely during this time that she had dragged Xu Tingsheng to see her grandmother...being blind and muddleheaded, her grandmother had then mistakenly believed that Xu Tingsheng was really her boyfriend, having committed this to heart afterwards. That was why such a thing had happened.

Then, she spoke of her initial debut in showbiz...

She spoke of her depression...also the reason for the so-called cohabitation. She mentioned that there had actually been two others at the time. They had never stayed in the same room. She also tagged Lu Zhixin...

She spoke of how Xu Tingsheng had helped her to get going again.

She spoke of how Xu Tingsheng’s heart was set on someone...she had gone from loving him to trying hard to accept it, being willing to stay as friends...here, she mentioned her so-called good friend knowing the reason for all this. She had just confided in her once, yet this so-called friend had sold the information for money.

Apple was virtually ‘self-destructing’. After calling Xu Tingsheng’s phone countless times but to no avail, she had chosen the most extreme method to explain things for him to Xiang Ning, to Mr and Mrs Xiang, to everyone.

If the current Apple was a minor artiste who had just entered showbiz, a second or third rate celebrity, this might have made for a successful boosting of her reputation. Still, this was already long since not the case.

Two albums, one New Year’s Gala...while Apple didn’t have many works, all of them were of the finest quality.

Right now, in terms of popularity, fans and works...from any single perspective, she was already solidly a queen in showbiz.

So, this sort of candid reveal could not win her popularity. It could only cause trouble. Those with malicious intentions would talk about her bad history. Those with venomous hearts would mock her stubbornness and her failures. More people would doubt it and would speculate much more...

She was virtually staking her entire reputation on this.

This matter might eventually blow over. Still, at least for a very long period of time in the foreseeable future, Apple would be at the forefront of public opinion. There would be countless questions that she would have to explain, clarify and tolerate time and time again.

When he was done reading, Xu Tingsheng turned to look at Xiang Ning behind him.

Xiang Ning cried as she said, “I’m sorry. Quick, help Big Sis Apple think of something.”

“Right,” As Xu Tingsheng casually refreshed the page, another post appeared:

If you insist on doubting all this, thinking of that period of cohabitation in such an impure manner...alright, I can tell you that I’m still a virgin. You can choose a well-known medical institution. I’m ready to undergo the fullest, most detailed checks there at any time.

This was crazy...if she had been self-destructing earlier, this was virtually committing suicide.

This was something that third-rate celebrities did. It wasn’t something that an artiste of her level should be doing...with her status, even proposing such a thing was itself a stain for her. It would bring her endless mockery and countless dirty statements...even if she really did those checks.

Also, people simply couldn’t find the necessity for her to do this at all. Therefore, there would definitely be more malicious speculation.

Xu Tingsheng called Apple and the call connected.

He said in a severe tone, “I really just wasn’t paying attention to my phone earlier. Don’t let your thoughts run wild. Now, tell Li Juan your Weibo password. Then, do everything according to the suggestions of Tianyi’s PR team...you have to listen to them in everything.”

Apple was silent on the other end.

“Please,” Xu Tingsheng said.

“Please, Big Sis Apple,” Xiang Ning said.

Finally, there was an ‘alright’ before Apple hung up.

Xu Tingsheng was fully aware that Apple had already repaid in full everything this time and was bearing everything too-she had riddled herself with wounds to fulfil the person he truly doted on.

In the future, they might not even be ordinary friends anymore. It was not that they were unwilling, but that they just couldn’t.

Xu Tingsheng called Tianyi and Xingchen, asking the two to work together to lessen the effects of the matter whatever the costs, at least decreasing the harm to Apple as much as possible.

“There are definitely many who will make use of this chance to stir things up. From now on, you should suppress, sue, threaten, sully or destroy the media entities and people as necessary...in no circumstance should you be merciful.”

Xu Tingsheng hung up, feeling sapped of energy.

It was the same for Xiang Ning who was repeatedly saying ‘sorry’.

Before going back to school the next morning, Xiang Ning told Xu Tingsheng, “My thoughts are completely in chaos right now, Xu Tingsheng. I’ll think properly on it for a few days. You should go back to school too. I’ll call you when I’ve sorted out my thoughts.”

“Okay,” Xu Tingsheng said.