Rebirth of a Star: Another Day, Another Drama

Darkness had fallen and the streets were silent. A girl in a white dress stumbled forward, and as she was running, the heels of her stilettos suddenly got stuck in a manhole cover. By the time she’d pulled them out, the heels had already fallen off.

This road wasn’t very easy to traverse as it had just been repaired not too long ago. One could also see some remaining sand and pebbles along the road, which hadn’t been cleaned up yet. She didn’t want to take off her broken stilettos, so she placed her hand on the wall to support herself as she slowly walked forward.

An image of her best friend, Shen Wei’an, crossed her mind, and she recalled her words clearly: You should be careful when you go home alone. I’ve heard that it isn’t very safe around the neighbourhood these days. Besides, you’re so popular now, so you must be extra careful!

A moment later, a bad feeling suddenly rushed to her heart. It seemed like someone was following her.

“Hey, Belle, wait a moment! I’m a fan of yours; I can take you home!”

As she turned around the corner, a shadow suddenly rushed forwards. There were no lights, so she couldn’t see the man’s face clearly. She could only judge by the voice that he was a man, and he seemed to be quite old.

“What do you want?”

She hugged her bag to her chest and stared warily at the shadowed figure.

The nineteen-year-old girl’s heart was filled with dread. Before this, someone had offered to send her home, but she’d rejected the offer, and now she utterly regretted it.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m really a fan of yours. I like every inch of your skin and every organ in your body. Every night when I sleep, I dream about you, and you’re always smiling at me. I want to take you home…I want to kiss you, is that okay?”

At this moment, Lan Jinyao realised that she’d met a pervert.

She kept retreating until she leaned against the wall. Goosebumps formed on her skin, and her body trembled incessantly.

“No, you can’t-” she screamed. “Don’t come over, I can go home on my own!”

Upon hearing her scream, the man in the dark laughed like a madman, and his laughter vibrated in the surroundings. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you. I won’t hurt you, so why are you so afraid of me? You…don’t believe me?”

His laughter ended and was replaced with anger.

Seeing the man’s gradually approaching figure, Lan Jinyao trembled with fear, and she quickly exclaimed, “I don’t like men who are older than me. I’m serious, I like men who are younger than me, so please d-don’t come over.”

She was so scared that she could only say whatever came to mind as she wanted to shake the man off as quickly as possible.

At this moment, another figure suddenly appeared. Upon hearing that sentence, the other man abruptly stopped in his tracks for a second, and his hands clenched into fists. Afterwards, he approached them and his fist landed on the middle-aged man’s body ruthlessly; each punch more powerful than the previous. About fifteen minutes later, the middle-aged man finally collapsed to the ground, and let out a burst of anguished wailings.

In the next second, the man seized Lan Jinyao’s hand. The man’s palm was dry and warm, and his calluses brushed against the palm of her hand. At this moment, a strange feeling suddenly surged in her heart, and there was a very familiar sensation.

With the man by her side, she felt strangely at ease.

At the end of the alley, a dim light fell on the ground, dispersing the haze of the night. When they were a step ahead of her house, the man decisively let go of her hand.

“We’ve arrived. Good night!”

The man turned and his figure gradually disappeared into the dark. Lan Jinyao stared at the departing figure and lamented: It was a pity that she couldn’t see his face.

…

“Wow! You’ve already got your hands on the rings. Are you planning on confessing to your love?”

The man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window carefully put the ring in his pocket. His gaze was undecipherable as he stared at the figure in white downstairs. Looking down from his current spot, everyone downstairs looked very small, and not even their figures were outlined clearly, but he recognised her at a glance. There was a large group of fans following behind her with signs in their hands. Her name must be written on those signs.

At this thought, a faint smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

Shen Yu exclaimed behind him, “Look how affectionate ‘someone’ is behaving at the moment. Don’t tell me that you fancy that little girl? Bro, you are several years older than her. You don’t mind, but maybe she does. Lan Jinyao is different from the other women in the entertainment circle. I heard that she comes from a wealthy family, so she doesn’t lack things like luxury bags and clothes.”

Upon hearing this, Fu Bainian’s smile froze and his expression instantly dimmed.

I don’t like men who are older than me. I’m serious, I like men who are younger than me.

The girl’s panicked voice suddenly reverberated in his ears, pounding on his eardrums and sending a painful sensation to his heart.

Fu Bainian then turned around and coldly said, “If you’re that idle, I can arrange some more work for you.”

Shen Yu instantly waved and scurried out of his office. By the time Fu Bainian looked down again, Lan Jinyao was no longer there.

Just wait a bit longer! The twenty-two year old Fu Bainian told himself.

…

“This is the first time that Lan Jinyao’s attending a talk show, do you really not plan on turning on your computer to have a look?”

Fu Bainian remained silent.

Shen Yu was bored talking to himself, so he put down the file and left. After he’d left, the man behind his desk casually rummaged through the documents. Afterwards, his gaze landed on the computer screen. He opened his browser, searched for the talk show, and watched it quietly.

The Lan Jinyao on screen was smiling sweetly as usual, but she now exuded a more tranquil and elegant temperament. Her hands were clasped on her knees, and her eyebrows arched slightly as she stared at the camera.

“Jinyao, this is your first time attending this kind of talk show. Are you nervous?!”

She stared straight at the camera, and softly said, “Yes, I do feel slightly nervous!”

“Jinyao, you truly have a lot of fans. When they’d heard that you’re making an appearance on our talk show, they all called the TV station one after another, saying that they had a few questions for you. The TV station’s phone was ringing off the hook!”

At the mention of this, both the emcee and Lan Jinyao laughed.

The host then added, “Of course, the question that netizens are most concerned about is concerning your love life. I heard that you weren’t involved in any scandals, so do you actually have a boyfriend?”

The elegant-looking Lan Jinyao smiled mysteriously.

The audience quieted down and waited for her answer. Fu Bainian, who was sitting in front of his computer, had his chin propped up on his hand, and his eyes were fixed on the screen. He held his breath as he waited for her answer.

“Truthfully, I don’t want to fall in love yet, because I don’t want to let my fans down. I want to repay my fans with more quality work,” Lan Jinyao calmly responded.

The twenty-three year old Fu Bainian told himself: She doesn’t want to be in a relationship yet, so wait for a bit longer!