Being "Crushed" - Chapter 17

After hearing what she’d just said, Song Yuhan closed her eyes, mortified. If she could dig a hole in her chest and crawl inside it, she would’ve.

Was she out of her mind? How could she say something like that? Seriously—what was that?!

Ever since she ran into him again, she’d been acting strangely. It was like he had some invisible pull over her—guiding her every reaction, making her lose her usual sense of control. She wasn’t herself anymore.

But what was said was said. Like spilled water, there was no way to take it back. So, she could only maintain a straight face, forcing a smile as she added, in an oddly encouraging tone,
“Well then… go for it?”

Lu Sifang: “?”

Click. The seatbelt finally came loose.

“T-thanks. Thanks a lot.”
Seizing the opportunity, Song Yuhan quickly opened the door and got out of the car. She didn’t dare glance at his expression—just shut the door and took off running. Her usual elegance completely vanished in her rush to escape.

Back in the car, Lu Sifang stared after her retreating figure. His slender fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel, as though deep in thought. After a long pause, he let out a quiet sigh, helplessness flickering in his eyes.

“…Go get ’em.”

But she was already long gone. Left with nothing else to do, he shifted gears and drove toward Shengyue Street—the competition venue.

Just then, his phone rang again. Zhou Shangqing.

“Bro Fang, where the heck are you?! Hurry up and get to the arena. I’m warning you—you’re already drowning in rumors. If you’re late and it looks like you’re pulling a diva move, your image will be wrecked!”

“Relax, I won’t be late. Don’t you trust my driving?”
As he spoke, he spun the wheel into a smooth turn. His already-flashy car shimmered under the sun, drawing all eyes on the road.

“Alright, just hurry! The production crew is here today too, they—”
Click. Zhou Shangqing accidentally hung up mid-sentence.

Lu Sifang didn’t bother calling back. He focused on the road.

Over on her side, Song Yuhan had made it to the venue—with a narrow buffer of about 20 minutes.

Just as she reached the studio tent of the production team, she overheard familiar voices gossiping inside:

“Tell me—why her?” said Liu Ziyun, who had joined the industry a bit earlier than Song Yuhan. “Sure, she’s pretty and graduated from a fancy school, but what real qualifications does she have?”

Wu Meng chimed in, “Exactly! In this field, experience matters way more than a resume. She’s barely been around long enough to learn the ropes. Honestly, Sister Zhong is playing favorites.”

“I mean, Sister Meng, you’d make a much better team lead,” Liu Ziyun added with a smile. “You’ve been here since the crack of dawn, you’re capable and hardworking. But her? The event’s about to begin and she’s still nowhere to be seen.”

“Pfft, she’s got connections,” someone snorted. “Us grassroots folks could never compete. Just zip it when she shows up—you don’t want to get roasted by her first-day power trip.”

“Obviously I know that.”
Then Liu Ziyun leaned in and whispered, “But I heard from Dayuan that she’s… well… sleeping her way up.”

Wu Meng sucked in a breath. “No way. With that face? Seriously?”

Seeing the doubt on her face, Liu Ziyun let out a smug laugh. “Well, that’s what I heard. These days, isn’t it always the beautiful girls and beastly bosses? Nothing new.”

“Haha, she’s not even worthy of the beast!” They both burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Outside the tent, Song Yuhan stood quietly, staring at the bag of desserts in her hands. She had passed by a well-known bakery on her way here and thought it would be nice to treat her teammates.

She hadn’t expected… this.

Unbelievable. So this is what they really think.

“Sister Yuhan, you’re here!”
A sweet, cheerful voice behind her broke the silence.

She turned to see Meng Shuqing bounding toward her, eyes bright and full of admiration.

Meng Shuqing was a university junior and a friend she had met by chance. She’d been interning with the team for a while now.

Looking at the girl’s innocent, eager face, Song Yuhan couldn’t help but feel her mood lift a little.
“Let’s go in together.”

Meng Shuqing spotted the dessert logo and lit up. “Ooh, did you bring us snacks?”

“Mm. Help me pass them out, would you? As a little thank-you for everyone’s hard work.”

Song Yuhan smiled, masking her emotions, and stepped into the tent. She distributed the pastries with graceful ease.

“Hey hey! Everyone, Sister Yuhan brought goodies! Get some before they’re gone!”

That was all it took. People who’d been feigning busyness immediately gathered. Even Liu Ziyun and Wu Meng—though visibly uneasy—joined in. They avoided Song Yuhan’s gaze, clearly aware she had overheard them.

“Don’t rush. There’s plenty for everyone.”
Her tone was calm, her demeanor unchanged—so much so that the gossipers were quietly relieved.

Then she said, with composed authority,
“The official notice has come down. Starting today, I’ll be taking over this project. Let’s all do our best—if we succeed, the bonus at the end will be worth it.”

Though it was her first day in charge, there was no arrogance in her voice. Still, the quiet strength in her tone made everyone take her seriously.

“Understood, Producer Song!”

She nodded, gave out tasks smoothly, and then everyone got to work.

Suddenly, there was noise outside—someone important had arrived.

Without being asked, Liu Ziyun snatched up a camera and dashed out. “I’ll go get some footage!”

“Wait for me—” Wu Meng hurried after her.

Song Yuhan didn’t stop them. Instead, she calmly called over a few male crew members to help.

She then unzipped her bag to pull out a folder—but frowned when she couldn’t find it.

Strange… I’m sure I packed it. Did I drop it somewhere on the way?

“Lose something, Sister Yuhan?”
Meng Shuqing wandered over, still munching on a pastry.

“It’s alright. Could you grab me a new copy of the project folder?”

“Of course!”
She seemed to know exactly where everything was and soon handed over a fresh copy.

“Thanks. Go on back to work.”

“Yup!”

With a calm face, Song Yuhan opened the file again—and this time, her eyes landed on a name she hadn’t seen before.

Lu Sifang.

Her expression froze slightly.

He was listed as the very first guest in the project: a rising star in extreme sports and a skateboarding prodigy.

Song Yuhan went still.

She remembered the day she was promoted. Right after leaving Sister Zhong’s office, Liu Ziyun had rushed over and handed her a folder.

At the time, Liu Ziyun had seemed a bit… off. But Yuhan hadn’t had time to dwell on it.

“Congrats, Yuhan! I knew you could do it. Here’s the project file Sister Zhong told me to give you,” she had said, smiling sweetly as she handed over the documents.

Yuhan had taken it at face value—grateful, even. She’d later treated Liu Ziyun to dinner in thanks.

But that night, she had read the documents multiple times. And now she was certain:

The version Liu Ziyun gave her was missing all information about Lu Sifang.

Whether it was negligence or deliberate sabotage—well, she was leaning toward the latter.

With that thought tucked away, Song Yuhan refocused on the file, scanning the background of all the competition’s featured players.

The details were exhaustive: degrees, awards, press reputation—even rumors and personal gossip.

This was her first time since their separation reading Lu Sifang’s full profile.

He’d gone overseas, enrolled in a top sports university, and received elite skateboarding training. He’d stayed abroad for five years, entering every competition he could. His name became a fixture on the leaderboard. And starting two years ago, he began sweeping championships, even surpassing veteran athletes in wins.

His skills—and striking looks—attracted sponsors in droves. He had become the face of skateboarding.

Other athletes, after fame, often fell into scandal and indulgence. But not Lu Sifang.

He was a young prodigy, rich, handsome—surrounded by women. Yet somehow, the rumor mill never found evidence of a girlfriend.

She had always thought he was bluffing when he said that. But now…

Even after intense media scrutiny, the best paparazzi ever caught was a blurry video of him doing push-ups alone in a hotel room—before collapsing into sleep.

And yet, the next day’s headline was:
“Skateboarding Genius Lu Sifang: Suspected of Being Gay?”

That ironic rumor had followed him ever since.

Reading these lines, a distant memory stirred. She heard a voice from long ago:

“Yuhan, do you want to go to Chukyo University?”

“Mm.”

“Then I’ll work hard too, and we’ll go there together, okay?”