306: Chapter 306 Top Idol Kneels!

Ning Yu's expression changed.

Lin Mei?

He was all too familiar with Lin Mei.

Both were popular young idols whose resources overlapped; they had been fighting openly and secretly for several years.

On the surface, they called each other brothers, but behind the scenes, they vied to see who had more endorsements, who had a bigger entourage, and who was more favored by capital.

They had even privately compared their core strength... However.

Such a top star, who was on equal footing with him and at the height of his fame, had collapsed completely overnight.

It all started with a piece of gossip claiming that Lin Mei had attempted to coerce Bing Lan of the Shuyue Group in a tea room!

Immediately afterward.

More explosive revelations came pouring out like a floodgate opening.

Acting like a diva, sleeping with fans, tax evasion... In less than a day, all related content was scrubbed from the internet, and his endorsements were terminated. After that, he was no longer a figure in the Entertainment Circle.

At the time, Ning Yu had secretly rejoiced, thinking that Lin Mei was just unlucky and had been caught in the crossfire.

But now, it seemed he was in the same boat?

"You... what you mean is..."

Ning Yu's expression froze as he asked stutteringly, "The reason for his downfall was... Ye Chen?!"

Bai Wanqing gave a faint smile and didn't answer directly.

"Does it matter if it was?"

"What matters is that he offended Ye Chen."

"It's as simple as that."

Others might not know, but Bai Wanqing was crystal clear on the matter.

She wasn't initially aware of the situation with Lin Mei.

Her sister had mentioned it casually during a meal one day.

Some blind fool had actually called the police to report Ye Chen for persecuting him.

Only after investigating did she find out that the guy had actually tried to coerce Bing Lan... It was simply ridiculous!

Offending Bing Lan was the same as offending Ye Chen.

Offending Ye Chen was the same as digging one's own grave.

Ning Yu stood frozen on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Bai Wanqing didn't say yes, but she didn't need to.

Given her status, she wouldn't deign to lie, let alone use such tactics to scare him.

She was merely stating a fact.

A fact sufficient to make Ning Yu's heart stop in terror.

"I..."

Ning Yu opened his mouth, but his throat felt as if it were filled with lead.

His legs gave way.

With a bend of his knees and a "thud," he knelt firmly on the bluestone pavement at the school gate.

The entire scene fell into a dead silence.

Those few female fans covered their mouths in disbelief, tears streaming down their faces.

The god in their hearts had collapsed.

Ning Yu lowered his head, his hands propped on the ground, his shoulders and back trembling violently.

He didn't dare look up or face anyone.

"Ye Chen..."

"I'm sorry, please show mercy!"

"I was wrong... I shouldn't have provoked you... I shouldn't have slandered Teacher Yi..."

"Please, give me a break!"

He was incoherent; with every word he spoke, his self-esteem was crushed a bit more.

But he didn't dare stop.

He feared that once he stopped, he would fall from the cloud top just like Lin Mei, shattering into pieces.

Ye Chen looked down at him.

"Since you've fulfilled your promise, I naturally won't cause you trouble."

"The school anniversary celebration must go on!"

"We can't let the celebration stop just because of me, right?"

The audience: "..."

After all this, could the anniversary celebration really continue?

But... since Ye Chen had said so, who would dare say no?

In an instant.

The school anniversary ceremony proceeded as scheduled.

The speakers in the auditorium played a stirring march, and the host read the script with great emotion.

Outstanding alumni representatives took the stage one by one to speak.

Ning Yu did not appear.

His manager hurried over and humbly apologized to the school authorities, saying that Ning Yu had suddenly fallen ill and had to leave early, so his participation in the subsequent segments would unfortunately be canceled.

Those female fans were reduced to tears, but no one spoke up for their idol.

As for Ye Chen... he didn't enter the auditorium at all.

Holding Yi Yue's hand, he saw off Bai Wanqing and then sat under an old banyan tree at the edge of the playground.

The shade was dappled, and sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on Yi Yue's fair cheeks.

"Aren't you going in to listen?" Yi Yue turned her head to look at him.

"Listen to what?"

Ye Chen leaned against the tree trunk and gave a lazy yawn. "Those people look at me like they've seen a ghost now. I won't go in and spoil the fun."

Yi Yue couldn't help but giggle.

But then Ye Chen suddenly thought of something and asked.

"By the way, Yueyue."

"Didn't Sophie and that Yan Lingling come today?"

Yi Yue was taken aback for a moment, then shook her head. "I haven't seen them yet. Sophie said earlier she'd come with Lingling. Let me call and ask."

Ye Chen nodded.

Yi Yue dialed Sophie's number.

It rang twice before the other end picked up.

"Sophie, where are you guys?"

"The anniversary has already started, but I haven't seen you..."

Before she could finish.

Her expression suddenly changed.

"What? In the hospital?"

"Okay, okay... I understand. We'll head over right away!"

She hung up the phone.

Yi Yue's face turned pale as she abruptly stood up.

"Something happened to Lingling!"

"Sophie said they were almost at the school when Lingling suddenly clutched her stomach and said it hurt. She was so pale and breaking out in a cold sweat..."

"Then, before she could finish speaking, she fainted!"

"She's in the emergency room at the First Hospital now. The doctor said..."

As she spoke, her eyes grew red. "They said it's a ruptured liver cancer hemorrhage. The situation is critical, and they're currently trying to resuscitate her."

Ye Chen frowned.

Yan Lingling had late-stage liver cancer; Yi Yue had mentioned this before.

But a ruptured liver cancer hemorrhage was an acute condition. The illness was dangerous and could take a life at any moment.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, he took Yi Yue's hand and strode toward the school gate.

Yi Yue was pulled along by him, following at a trot.

With Ye Chen there.

There would surely be a way... First Hospital, Emergency Department.

The red light of the resuscitation room glowed piercingly.

Sophie sat alone on a bench in the hallway, her hands clasped and her head bowed, her pretty face noticeably pale.

"Lingling, didn't you say we'd go eat at that new Japanese restaurant after the anniversary?"

"Sure, Sophie, it's your treat!"

"Why should I pay?"

"Because you're my best friend."

"Alright, since you're sick."

...That was what the two of them had said on the phone last night.

She thought today would just be a normal day of accompanying her best friend to a school anniversary and then going for a normal meal.

But who could have imagined... *Ding—*

The door to the emergency room was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

Sophie jerked her head up.

A middle-aged male doctor in dark green surgical scrubs stepped out, removed his mask, and looked weary.

He looked around, his gaze finally landing on Sophie. "Are you Yan Lingling's family?"

Sophie stood up and shook her head.

"I... I'm not family. I'm her friend."

"Her family is still on their way from out of town. It might take another two or three hours..."

Her voice grew smaller and smaller, as if something were blocking her throat.

The doctor was silent for two seconds.

Then.

He let out a soft sigh.

"I'm very sorry."

"The patient suffered a massive hemorrhage due to a ruptured liver cancer. We did our best, but... we couldn't save her."

"Please help notify the family."

Sophie stood frozen in place, motionless.

So Lingling was... dead?

She remembered back in their second year of high school, when she was being teased by Ning Yu and stood at her seat crying.

It was Lingling, the girl who usually spoke the least, who stood up bravely for the first time.

With a trembling voice, she growled at Ning Yu, "You're not allowed to bully Sophie!"

Then.

She took her hand and ran across the entire playground.

They ran until both were out of breath, then leaned over and looked at each other, suddenly bursting into laughter together.

That year, they were sixteen.

Later, she got into Aviation University, while Lingling only went to a second-tier college.

But distance had never diluted their friendship. Her phone was always buzzing with messages from Lingling... Later... Lingling was diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer.

When Sophie went to the ward to see her, Lingling still smiled and said, "It's fine. The doctor says it's treatable, just a bit expensive."

She never complained or grumbled, hiding all the fear and pain within her thin body.

But now... "Doctor."

Sophie struggled out of her memories, large tears falling one by one.

"Doctor, please... save her again."

"She hasn't seen her family yet. Her younger brother has the college entrance exams next year. She said she was going to personally see him to the exam hall..."

"She hasn't... hasn't..."

Sophie choked up and couldn't go on.

The doctor shook his head and sighed helplessly.

"I'm sorry, we did our best."

"Please... accept my condolences."

He bowed slightly and turned back into the emergency room.

The door wasn't fully closed.

Through the gap, she could vaguely see busy figures tidying up equipment and a thin body on the operating table covered by a white sheet... Sophie froze in place.

Tears fell silently.

She suddenly covered her mouth, forcefully pressing the impending sob back into her throat.

Suddenly!

From the other end of the hallway, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.

"Sophie!"

Yi Yue trotted forward, but when she saw Sophie standing alone by the emergency room door with her shoulders trembling, her heart sank.

"What happened? Where's Lingling? She..."

Sophie slowly turned her head.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and tears blurred her vision. "Sister Yi, Lingling... she's gone."