Being the Diva’s Rumored Girlfriend [Entertainment Industry] - Chapter 17

Break up?

Mi Man was slightly stunned. She had only been away for three months filming a variety show—how could she come back to this news?

To be honest, Mi Man was grateful for this trip with Mu Yunshu. If nothing else, just being away from the lovey-dovey couple Cheng Jing and Yao Xuan was enough to satisfy her.

On the way back, she had even prepared herself to continue being friends with Cheng Jing—no anger, no impatience, no jealousy—just calm and composed, like an NPC.

But… why did she have to hear this news now?

Thinking back to the argument she overheard between Cheng Jing and her teammates earlier, a strange feeling suddenly stirred in Mi Man’s heart.

“Mi Man!”

Mu Xiaoxiao grabbed her hand, frowning as she shouted, “Don’t overthink things! You and Mu Yunshu are a couple now!”

The words startled Mi Man.

“I—I know,” Mi Man nodded. “I was just surprised by the news. I’m not overthinking anything.”

Mu Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes at her. “Do you think I’m blind?”

If Mi Man really was just surprised, she wouldn’t be wearing that expression—one of shock mixed with confusion.

Mu Xiaoxiao knew. Mi Man had liked Cheng Jing for a long time. Anyone with eyes could see how she felt.

But after all this time, even a frozen pear would have thawed. Cheng Jing had never once considered being with Mi Man, so why bother tormenting herself?

Yet Mi Man kept throwing herself at Cheng Jing, only to be met with indifference, making things awkward for herself and everyone around her.

Was it worth it?

What was so great about Cheng Jing anyway???

Mu Xiaoxiao tightened her grip on Mi Man’s hand, not letting go even when Mi Man winced in pain. She lowered her voice and said, “You just finished filming. There’s still a long road ahead. No matter how you feel right now, at least don’t mess things up with your career.”

Mi Man shrank back. “I know. I’m not stupid.”

Not stupid? Then what’s with that hopeful yet panicked look in your eyes?!

“Think about Mu Yunshu,” Mu Xiaoxiao said. “Whether it’s real or not, she’s your girlfriend now.”

Mi Man: “…”

She knew. From the moment she agreed to this publicity stunt with Mu Yunshu, she knew there would never be another chance with Cheng Jing.

Actually… maybe this was for the best.

Whether Cheng Jing broke up or who she dated no longer had anything to do with Mi Man.

After all this time, they were just friends.

“I know,” Mi Man looked up at her friend and smiled. “Mu Yunshu and I get along well. I’ll let go of the past.”

They would just remain ordinary friends—nothing more.

Mu Xiaoxiao nodded like a proud mother. “Good, good! I’m so glad you think this way. I’m happy for Mu Yunshu. When you two get married, make sure to send me an invitation!”

She was a staunch supporter of the MuMan ship, and no one could shake her position as the top fangirl!

Just as the two were chatting, Cheng Jing walked over.

“What are you two doing here?” She pushed open the balcony door and glanced at Mi Man and Mu Xiaoxiao, puzzled. “It’s almost 2 a.m. Shouldn’t you be asleep?”

“Sleep, sleep, I’m going to sleep right now!” Mu Xiaoxiao hurriedly said, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Manman, I miss her so much. I want to sleep with her tonight!”

Just in case her restless emotions might cause trouble!

Cheng Jing’s dark eyes swept almost imperceptibly over Mi Man as she said lightly, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen Mi Man too. I’d like to chat with her for a while.”

For a moment, all three people on the balcony held their breath.

Mi Man broke out in a cold sweat and stammered, “I also want to catch up with Xiaoxiao…”

Mu Xiaoxiao nodded, “Captain, don’t come between our passionate friendship. I’m taking Manman back to our room now, you should get some rest too!”

With that, the two of them pushed and shoved their way out, not daring to look back.

Cheng Jing watched their retreating figures heading upstairs, her gaze darkening slightly before she casually closed the balcony door again.

Sleeping squeezed next to Mu Xiaoxiao was indeed uncomfortable. The girl had terrible sleeping habits—kicking, grinding her teeth, and snoring. When Mi Man woke up feeling suffocated from being crushed, she missed her own room dearly.

Even Mu Yunshu slept more peacefully than this woman.

Struggling out of Xiaoxiao’s embrace, Mi Man got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to wash up, yawning all the way.

With so many girls living together, the bathroom situation was inconvenient, so the dormitory bathroom had been specially renovated.

The bathroom was divided into three sections: a separate toilet stall, a separate shower stall, and a washbasin area in the middle—all designed for individual use to avoid awkward crowding.

When Mi Man pushed open the second-floor bathroom door, she saw Cheng Jing leaning against the washbasin with one hand while brushing her teeth, her mouth full of foam.

“Oh, you’re using the bathroom,” Mi Man said awkwardly. “I’ll go use the one downstairs.”

Cheng Jing spat out the foam and said, “Yao Xuan is using the one downstairs.”

Mi Man froze for a moment, easily imagining how the two of them must have felt awkward seeing each other, prompting Yao Xuan to go downstairs to wash up instead.

Unconcerned with Mi Man’s expression, Cheng Jing rinsed her mouth and said, “I’m almost done. Wait for me a moment.”

Refusing now would seem strange, so after some thought, Mi Man agreed. After all, brushing teeth and washing face wouldn’t take more than a minute—it wasn’t like applying makeup.

Watching Cheng Jing splash water on her face, Mi Man felt her heart racing wildly but desperately tried to suppress any wild thoughts.

Mi Man, get a grip! There’s no way between you and Cheng Jing—think of someone else!

Think of… think of… Mu Yunshu instead!

Just as she finished this mental self-reprimand, Cheng Jing had finished washing up and moved aside for Mi Man.

Mi Man quickly squeezed out toothpaste and started brushing, but when she looked up into the mirror, she saw Cheng Jing still standing there, staring intently at her.

Gulp—

Mi Man nearly swallowed her toothpaste.

Watching Mi Man wash up, Cheng Jing slowly said, “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you alone yesterday. Did everything go well with your outdoor shoot?”

“It was fine,” Mi Man replied without pausing her washing, keeping her head down. “Everyone was great, and filming the variety show wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. It was actually quite fun.”

As long as she enjoyed herself, the directors would naturally capture good footage.

This was a trick Mu Yunshu had taught her, so during the filming of the remaining episodes, Mi Man performed exceptionally naturally, even earning praise from the director.

Cheng Jing smiled slightly, her bright expression lighting up as she said, “I thought you might get sick in an unfamiliar place, especially since your stomach is more sensitive than most people’s. There are so many things you can’t eat.”

Mi Man recalled how she had been vomiting and having diarrhea on her very first day there—it had been truly exhausting. She sighed softly and said, “Yeah, I can never handle weird foods.”

“After all, I’ve known you for so long. Of course I’d know everything about you.”

“…”

Mi Man felt a strange unease. For some reason, Cheng Jing’s words struck her as oddly unsettling.

Hearing the sounds of someone waking up in the neighboring dorm, Cheng Jing turned to Mi Man and said, “I’m going to change. You go ahead and wash up.”

Watching Cheng Jing’s retreating figure, Mi Man wiped her face with a towel, pretending she understood nothing.

The recording of the album had actually been finalized before the New Year, but due to various reasons, it kept getting delayed until recently, when it was finally put on the schedule.

The company had secured a top-tier record label for them, with dedicated teams handling the music, choreography, and MV filming—clearly, no expense had been spared.

Now that Mi Man was back, she naturally had to catch up. Without much rest, she immediately joined the team for dance practice, keeping herself busy these days.

After finishing practice one day, Mi Man decided to go downstairs to buy some water and, as a favor, grab a sandwich for the lazy Xiaoxiao.

But as she descended the emergency staircase, she faintly heard soft sobbing—it sounded like a girl crying.

Mi Man looked around and finally spotted Yao Xuan crouched in a corner upstairs, tears streaming down her face.

As one of the girl group members, Yao Xuan hadn’t actually made it through the auditions. Her uncle was a company executive, so she had been directly inserted into the group without much formality.

Fortunately, the girl was pretty and played up her cute, bubbly persona, winning over plenty of male fans and making her one of the more noticeable members.

But seeing Yao Xuan—who always acted cheerful and innocent—hugging her knees and crying on the floor was definitely a surprise for Mi Man.

“Are you okay?”

Mi Man looked up at Yao Xuan on the stairs and asked uneasily, “Did something happen?”

When Yao Xuan saw it was Mi Man, she wiped the tears from her eyes.

The two weren’t particularly close in the group. Yao Xuan, with her privileged background, had always looked down on lower-tier members like Mi Man and Mu Xiaoxiao.

But now, things were different. Since Mi Man had gotten close to Mu Yunshu, her popularity had skyrocketed, and Yao Xuan no longer dared to dismiss her casually.

Still, expecting her to suddenly become warm and friendly was unrealistic.

Rubbing her reddened nose, Yao Xuan said hoarsely, “It’s nothing.”

Mi Man felt she might be overstepping. Whatever had made Yao Xuan cry like this was probably related to Cheng Jing breaking up with her.

Best not to get involved—no need to invite discomfort.

“Rest up and remember to come back to the practice room,” Mi Man said, turning to leave. “I’m heading downstairs to grab something.”

Just as she was about to walk away, Yao Xuan suddenly spoke up from the floor.

“Mi Man.”

Yao Xuan watched her turn back and said, “You’re good friends with Cheng Jing, right?”

Mi Man blinked and nodded.

With red-rimmed eyes and a choked voice, Yao Xuan pleaded, “Could you please talk to Cheng Jing for me? Ask her not to break up with me…”

Mi Man felt awkward.

Her voice hoarse from crying, Yao Xuan sobbed, “Please, I beg you… Talk to Cheng Jing for me. I really love her…”