Chapter 975: Chapter 974: The Tormented CEO
As the year-end approaches, major TV stations, online platforms, and video apps are all starting to organize events like the Screaming Night, Starlight Awards, and the Heartthrob Night...
The stars of the entertainment industry seem to have been storing up energy all year, waiting for this moment to outshine each other on the red carpet and grab all the headlines. Fans in the fan circles are also getting active, scrambling for tickets, holding support banners, taking photos—it’s as lively as it gets.
But all of this seems extremely dull and boring for Ye’s Fans.
In the past, the thing they looked forward to the most was Ye Xian’s return, participating in various events, but now there isn’t a peep from him.
Without Ye Xian on the red carpet, it feels like the entertainment world has lost a spark. The reunion of FOR is missing someone and lacks smiles, the three of them as cold as if they’re just going through the motions.
The interviews they used to look forward to are all incredibly official and stiff, devoid of the spontaneous wit that used to make everyone burst into laughter—Ye Xian’s humor.
The young actors on the awards stage receive trivial consolation awards of no importance; the most popular and capable one is absent.
Without that vast green sea of fans, the screams inside the venue have also lost their passion and have become sparse.
Despite being disappointed enough to lose fandom, Ye’s Fans habitually searched Ye Xian’s name on Weibo countless times every day. But aside from the apology post about his identity, there hasn’t been any new material posted, and inexplicably, it feels like something is missing in their hearts, leaving them uninterested in anything else related to the entertainment industry.
It’s like the brightest star is gone, and the entire night sky has dimmed.
[It’s year-end, doesn’t Star Entertainment have any activities set up for Brother Ye... I mean Ye Xian?]
[What activities? She is a rich little darling who came to the entertainment world out of boredom. Once she’s tired, she’ll just go home. Why would she care about your feelings as fans? This is why genuinely chasing stars comes back to bite you!]
[What the person above said is right. Ever since she revealed her identity, I decided to leave the fandom and return to my own life. But for some reason, I still feel like something is missing, everything feels boring, and I can’t stop myself from searching about her.]
[+1]
[+10086]
[+Scam number, when they announced the most positive energy award at today’s Starlight, I immediately thought about Xianxian selling pineapples for the farmers in Dangshan. That trophy should obviously belong to him.]
[A fan friend in the circle told me that they screamed until they lost their voice, but their idol didn’t even glance at them. I envy the times when Ye Xian would always wave to the green sea of fans as soon as he went on stage. Honestly, she was really good to her fans, although... perhaps it was an act?]
[It’s hard to fake that convincingly, right? Every gesture was full of detail. Once during an event, she was afraid fans would get cold and asked Xiao Lu to buy dozens of cups of hot milk tea for us, and told us to go home early.]
[Last time I picked her up at the airport, I was scolded, but it was a warm sort of scolding. She gave me a signature and took a photo, telling those who traveled far not to come to the airport to meet her, and said she would post selfies on Weibo regularly.]
[Yeah, she even attaches a selfie when she posts ads on Weibo just to satisfy us.]
[She seems born to be a big star. Without her in events, on red carpets, or on TV, everything seems to lose its allure.]
[True, who in the entertainment industry can compare to her? She attracts more attention on the red carpet than female stars, her variety show recordings are highlight-filled, and she casually acts in a drama and wins the TV Emperor award... Oh, no wonder I like this person, she’s just outstanding.]
[If you think about it carefully, she just changed her gender. She’s still the same person we are madly in love with.]
[Sigh, on the day things happened she didn’t have to respond at all, just wait quietly for the truth to come out. Why did she have to reveal her identity? Even if she continued to deceive us, I would hope she’d do it forever.]
[Xiao Lu said... it’s because Ye Xian saw us being cyberbullied, and many members of the support club were doxxed by netizens, prompting her to stand up.]
This comment was upvoted to the top, garnering hundreds of thousands of likes, and Ye’s Fans, watching it, all fell into silence.
Ye Xian really is a very good idol, a very bright and shining star.
The love between them has always been mutual.
Although this time she did something wrong, isn’t it natural for them to be angry? Can’t she come out and coax them?
Could it be... she really doesn’t want them anymore?
Imperial Capital Center, the 66th floor of BHS Headquarters
CEO’s Office
’Knock knock knock~’
’Knock knock knock~’
Pang Kai knocked on the door several times without getting a response. As if realizing something, he gently pushed the door open and walked in.
Sure enough, inside the office, the man was so focused on watching the surveillance video on his phone that he didn’t even notice Pang Kai coming in.
Quietly, Pang Kai placed the file on the desk and saw the way the man’s fingers lingered over the image of that person in the video, causing him to sigh.
Ye Xian, for the sake of acting, really tormented the CEO.
From two weeks ago, he noticed something was off. The CEO suddenly became intensely absorbed in work, but it was completely different from his usual work state. The schedule and meetings were packed to the point of being suffocating, as if he was deliberately avoiding something or venting some emotion... Pang Kai strongly suspected it was related to Ye Xian, and hadn’t even had a chance to ask Xiao Lu before he discovered it himself.
During meetings, the CEO would often zone out while spinning a pen Ye Xian had given him, even having Zhu Shanshan secretly install surveillance in Ye Xian’s room. Every festive occasion as the year-end approached saw him visiting stores to carefully select gifts, which he never sent out, just arranged neatly in a cabinet. He didn’t know when a calendar appeared on his desk, and every day upon entering the office, the first thing he did was turn the page. The frequency with which he checked the clock also increased significantly.
Once, upon waking from a nap, the first thing he asked was the time. Upon learning he’d only slept for half an hour, his mood seemed very bad, as if he wished he could sleep straight through to the end of the year.
On one occasion, Xiao Lu delivered a bucket of popcorn, saying it was made by Ye Xian herself for her filming and instructed her to deliver it. The CEO was so delighted that he didn’t leave the office for the afternoon, eating the popcorn grain by grain despite not being someone who usually enjoyed sweets, yet he finished the popcorn that Ye Xian had accidentally put too much syrup on.
As for other leisure times, they were almost all spent watching the surveillance footage of Ye Xian, until Pang Kai, from peeking from the side, roughly knew Ye Xian’s daily activities.
Practicing posture, singing, English recitation, and seemingly learning how to swim like a fish?
After inquiring with Xiao Lu, he learned that Ye Xian, for the sake of filming a new movie, had ’broken up’ with the CEO, requesting that he not disturb her until filming was complete, rejecting even phone calls and video chats, not to mention meetings.
When had the CEO ever been accustomed to following someone’s instructions, or endured and tortured himself so much for one person?
Clearly, he missed Ye Xian desperately, yet he still strictly restrained himself. Truly, he loved her intensely, and indulged her to the core.
Once the person in the surveillance disappeared, Bo Tingshen slowly came back to his senses and noticed the file on the desk.
Pang Kai hurriedly said, "CEO, there’s an urgent document here that requires your signature."
He said nothing, casually opening the document and skimming through it before signing his name at the bottom.
Pang Kai took the document, and just as he was about to close it, he froze in shock upon seeing the signature on it.
"Is there anything else?"
"C-CEO..." Pang Kai slowly put down the document and said, "You signed the wrong name."
At the signature field of the document, there were two sharply defined words—Ye Xian.
The CEO actually signed the wrong name...
In the past, no matter how bad his mood was, he never made mistakes in dealing with work matters.
Could it be that he’s really obsessed with Ye Xian?
Will he have mental issues if this continues?
Pang Kai became a bit panicked, "CEO, how about I clear your schedule this afternoon for a trip to the Ye Family? I heard from Xiao Lu that Ye Xian is about to start filming, and once she’s fully engaged with the crew, I’m afraid you won’t be able to see her."
"Alright."
His quick response left Pang Kai momentarily stunned, then he took out his tablet to adjust the schedule, only to hear a ’ding’ sound.
The phone of Bo Tingshen rang, displaying a long-awaited message from Little Strawberry on the screen: CEO, I’m joining the crew, see you in a month! (Love you.PNG)
Little fairy!
Bo Tingshen tightly gripped his phone, looking at that message over and over, his eyes filled with an icy frost.
In a month, he would tear her apart.
Mermaid was a fantasy blockbuster that combined romantic fairy tales with realism, set in Ancient Europe, Country Y. To highly restore the scenes from the original, the filming crew specially selected the newly established Europe City within the Platinum Crystal Film and Television Base as the shooting location.
Upon Ye Xian’s arrival to the crew, she met with the producer, director, supervisor, and a multitude of film investors, all of whom were undeniably impressed by her presence.
In person, she looked even better than in photos!
Sleek and radiant, her beauty was indistinguishable between male and female, indeed perfectly suited for the role of the Mermaid Princess!
The only concern remaining was her acting skills. Originally, the investors were worried she might be underprepared given the tight schedule.
However, to their surprise, she immediately spoke in a perfectly authentic London accent, switching effortlessly between male and female voices. She could recite any excerpt from the script with vivid emotion, missing not a single word, especially during the scene with the Prince...
With short silvery-white hair shimmering with a faintly cold light, an exotic temperament, lightly arched distant eyebrows, a straight nose, thin rosy lips, and long, dense jet-black eyelashes resembling birds’ feathers, combined with a black and red embroidered tight-fitting noble attire and a luxurious sword in hand, the Prince’s haughty and captivating aura was unmistakable. Just one look could transport you to the ancient palaces of Europe, involuntarily wanting to surrender at her feet.
"Good, very good..."
"Time is pressing, everything follows the shooting schedule, let’s first test the opening scene!"
The director nodded in satisfaction, starting the cameras that very night.
Mermaid tells the story of an ancient Wisenus Dynasty where a valiant king, a beautiful queen, and their only son, the noble and handsome Prince Gem, reside in a courtly castle. The family of three lived harmoniously, governing the kingdom to prosperity, but aroused the dissatisfaction and jealousy of Gem’s half-brother Prince Vici.
He always plotted to murder and usurp the throne, but lacked the capability, thus turned to practicing evil magic. During a moment of losing control, his sinister aura attracted a powerful Evil Dragon. The dragon promised to grant him mana and fulfill his imperial ambitions, but required him to offer a hundred citizens every month for it to drain their blood and enhance its power. Without hesitation, Vici agreed, entering into a villainous Blood Covenant with the dragon.
That very night, Vici brutally murdered the king and queen in front of Prince Gem, and poisoned him mute, subsequently using him as a pawn to ascend the throne. Poor Gem, only sixteen, lost his loving parents, used as a chess piece by his enemy, realizing their disgraceful dealings with the evil dragon.
Stripped of family, voice, and freedom, the noble Prince, unable to endure the humiliation, ran to the seashore under the cover of a dark and windy night, intending to drown himself.
Before jumping, he shed a tear, an expression of sadness and remorse for being unable to save the people of the Wisenus Dynasty.
This tear was caught by the Mermaid Ancestor in the deep sea.
"What a beautiful tear, more exquisite than the pearls formed by our mermaid tears."
Suddenly, a mermaid appeared from the sea, startling Gem. When he saw her lovely tail and the shimmering halo floating above, he suddenly thought of an ancient legend—Mermaids.
They are the embodiment of wisdom, beauty, and cunning, possessing alluring beauty and powerful magic.
Perhaps, she could help him defeat the evil dragon and Vici, saving the Wisenus Dynasty.
The Mermaid Ancestor saw through his thoughts and shook her head, "The Merfolk never interact with humans. If you wish to defeat the Evil Dragon, Prince, you must become a mermaid yourself."
Gem immediately wrote on the sand, asking how he could become a mermaid.
"Noble Prince, you possess the purest and most powerful heart in the world, like a brilliant gem that can protect our Merfolk for eternity. If you willingly join the Merfolk, I can grant you infinite magic and supreme status, but it will also strip you of your human identity."
Losing his human body, becoming a mermaid forever...
Gem hesitated for two seconds, then asked if there was any way to become human again.
The Ancestor fell into silence.
Gem struggled for a while, then remembered the cruel Evil Dragon, Vici, and his deceived and slaughtered poor citizens, and nodding, he agreed.
Compared to becoming a mermaid, what was all of this?
The Mermaid Ancestor happily cast her magic on him.
When Ye Xian donned the mermaid costume and appeared on the set, every staff member gasped in wonder, barely able to believe their eyes.
She was astonishingly beautiful, so breathtakingly exquisite she hardly seemed human, but rather an exact replica of the Mermaid Princess described in the book.
