How Can a Construction Foreman Be the Public Girlfriend of a Top Celebrity? - Chapter 12
Chapter 12
The online flame war broke out instantly, and Shu Xuan’s fans stepped in to defend her.
Ever since Shu Xuan terminated her contract with Xinghe, all major fan group management was done voluntarily. Without a studio yet, Dage’s side couldn’t control the public narrative.
However, fans acted in unison, bringing up topics about farmers, sanitation workers, and other ordinary laborers. They even organized a “Summer Cool Relief” campaign in Shu Xuan’s name, distributing water and watermelons to workers, street cleaners, and traffic police.
The haters were beaten back in defeat by Shu Xuan’s fans. They hadn’t realized that even without Xinghe, Shu Xuan was still a top-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry.
Malicious posts were reasonably reported by fans, and more extreme comments were directly reported to the police.
Meanwhile, Shu Xuan and Zheng Ling had just gotten home.
Zheng Ling clung to Shu Xuan and wouldn’t let go, her cheek pressed against Shu Xuan’s shoulder. “Wifey, we’re home.”
“We are home,” Shu Xuan said helplessly as she peeled her off.
Zheng Ling melted onto the couch like a scoop of ice cream, her cheeks flushed as she held onto the hem of Shu Xuan’s clothes.
Shu Xuan sat down beside her and brushed the stray hair from Zheng Ling’s forehead. The woman seemed to have no sense of self-protection.
The two of them ended up dozing off together on the couch. The next morning, Zheng Ling woke up to find herself still holding onto Shu Xuan.
Startled, she let go immediately—after all, they’d signed an agreement!
She tiptoed off the couch, but the slightest movement woke Shu Xuan.
“Uh, Teacher Shu, I didn’t climb into your bed—this is just the couch,” Zheng Ling stammered, her hair a complete mess, unsure whether she’d done anything inappropriate the night before.
Shu Xuan, half-asleep, murmured, “Mm.”
She’d stayed up late taking care of Zheng Ling and was still tired. When she saw Zheng Ling heading to the bathroom to wash up, she lay back down and quickly drifted off again.
She had a faint dream—Zheng Ling stepped out of the bathroom in silk pajamas, the thin fabric outlining her curves, beads of water rolling down her neck, making the silk cling to her skin.
Half in a daze, Shu Xuan thought she kissed her.
She jolted awake.
Opening her eyes, she saw Zheng Ling stepping out of the bathroom in bright pink Patrick Star pajamas, with a dried-fish-shaped headband on her head. The sleepwear looked at least ten years out of fashion.
Shu Xuan: …It really was just a dream.
Zheng Ling, clueless, tilted her head and asked with a grin, “Teacher Shu, what’s wrong?”
Shu Xuan didn’t answer. She just grabbed her pillow and walked back to her room.
She chugged water from her bottle. What the hell was she thinking?!
Meanwhile, Zheng Ling was busying herself in the kitchen. She got a call from A-Liao—she was in the hospital, and Zheng Ling needed to visit her in the afternoon.
When Shu Xuan came downstairs, Zheng Ling had just finished making wontons.
“Teacher Shu, come eat breakfast!” she called.
“Thanks,” Shu Xuan said, sitting down and eating in small bites.
“My project’s over, and I’m pretty free now. Is there anywhere you want to go?” Zheng Ling asked, trying to make conversation. Something felt off about Shu Xuan’s expression… Had she done something inappropriate last night?
Shu Xuan put her spoon down. “No.”
“Do you have time, then? I want to go on a short trip.” Zheng Ling pressed again.
“No,” Shu Xuan said—but looking into Zheng Ling’s sincere eyes, she changed her answer: “I can make time.”
Zheng Ling immediately grabbed her phone and jumped from her chair like a rocket. “Woohoo! Awesome!”
Shu Xuan watched Patrick Star bouncing in front of her and felt a headache coming on.
“…”
That afternoon, Zheng Ling persuaded Shu Xuan to go with her to the hospital. She wanted her friends to get to know Shu Xuan.
Shu Xuan didn’t have any gifts prepared for the visit, so she called Xiao Ying to buy some supplements and bring them over.
“A-Liao didn’t tell me what she had done—just said she had surgery,” Zheng Ling said while driving. Shu Xuan sat in the passenger seat.
“You two are close?” Shu Xuan asked.
“Of course! We’ve been friends since college. At first, I thought she had a crush on me—haha!” Zheng Ling laughed. “But then she dated a ton of guys, and I realized she’s straight.”
Shu Xuan nodded silently, turning to gaze at the historic sights of Nancheng passing by the window. The city, rich in history, was always filled with tourists, many just passing through.
“Don’t worry, I haven’t messed around,” Zheng Ling added quickly, afraid Shu Xuan might misunderstand.
“Mm.” Shu Xuan gave a faint smile.
When they arrived at the hospital, Xiao Ying was already waiting at the outpatient entrance with a bunch of bags.
“Teacher Shu! Boss Zheng!” Xiao Ying ran over. After Shu Xuan left Xinghe, she thought she was no longer needed.
Luckily, Shu Xuan gave her a task, and she was instantly revitalized.
Zheng Ling stepped between them to stop Xiao Ying from launching herself at Shu Xuan.
“I’ve been taking a break, so I haven’t contacted you or Dage,” Shu Xuan said, seeing through Xiao Ying’s thoughts.
Xiao Ying pouted, a little embarrassed. “I thought you didn’t want me anymore, Teacher Shu.”
Zheng Ling immediately interjected, “Of course she doesn’t want you! Teacher Shu only wants me now!”
“You petty thing!” Xiao Ying huffed and stormed ahead.
Shu Xuan laughed. “Why are you bullying the poor girl?”
“I’m a poor girl too,” Zheng Ling grinned, rubbing Shu Xuan’s arm. “You can bully me too, Teacher Shu.”
Shu Xuan raised her chin and strutted off like a peacock, her butt practically swaying into the Pacific Ocean—like Tom the cat in full sass mode.
A-Liao’s room was on the sixth floor, and as they went up, Shu Xuan kept getting lewd stares from passing men.
Zheng Ling could feel it and stood in front of her protectively until the men turned away.
She made up her mind—next time she’d stick on some fake tattoos, wear a fake lip ring and eyebrow stud, and bare her teeth at anyone who stared.
Xiao Ying entered the room first. A-Liao gasped, “Why are you here?!”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” Xiao Ying retorted.
Zheng Ling and Shu Xuan followed. A-Liao was alone in the room, her head and entire face wrapped in gauze.
“What happened? You look seriously ill!” Zheng Ling cried.
A-Liao waved a hand. “Nothing much. Just had two surgeries.”
“Two?! And you call that nothing?” Zheng Ling already imagined terminal illness scenarios and dramatically collapsed onto the bed. “Ahh, my Liao! You can’t die! What will I do without you?!”
Shu Xuan: …
A-Liao: …
“Get off me, damn it!!” A-Liao sighed. “Let me show you something.”
She opened a metal box on the nightstand. Inside was a bloody lump. On closer inspection—it was bone.
“What the heck is that?” Xiao Ying leaned in.
“My shaved jawbone,” A-Liao said, her speech muffled by a drainage tube.
Zheng Ling was speechless. “You’ve already got a small face. Why get surgery?”
“Every time I looked in the mirror, I felt ugly,” A-Liao sighed. Then she added, “This is a top-tier hospital. I’ll be fine.”
Zheng Ling remembered—A-Liao’s past boyfriends always criticized her looks. But honestly, for a regular girl, she was already beautiful: oval face, big eyes, double eyelids, long lashes. With a little makeup, she could be an influencer.
But society’s standards of beauty are so narrow. Most people focus so much on their flaws that they forget to look at others with an objective heart.
“Don’t worry! Once I’ve fully transformed, I’ll be even hotter than your Teacher Shu!” A-Liao declared. “And I’ve got another surprise for you.”
Zheng Ling braced herself, unsure what horror would come next after the bloody jawbone.
Xiao Ying and Shu Xuan stood quietly behind her.
To Shu Xuan, A-Liao seemed courageous. The entertainment industry was harsh—especially toward women. Male celebs could get away with anything, and fans still worshipped them. As long as their “oppa” was around, everything else could be overlooked.
By the time Shu Xuan refocused, A-Liao had already lifted the blanket.
Beneath the covers was a mountain-sized bulge—A-Liao had gotten enhancement injections!
Xiao Ying screamed, “AAAAAAAHHHH! MY GOD!!!”
Zheng Ling jumped so hard she almost knocked over the IV pole.
The thing under the blanket was massive—almost as thick as Shu Xuan’s arm—totally disproportionate to A-Liao’s petite frame.
Shu Xuan froze. When will this surreal nightmare end?!
“How about that? Impressive, right?” A-Liao beamed. “I went for the ‘Empire State Building’ size! I’m going to shock all my exes!”
Zheng Ling was speechless. She’d imagined A-Liao getting liposuction, jawbone surgery, maybe limb-lengthening—but this?! Never.
“Sometimes I really wanna call the cops,” she mumbled. “Put that thing away!”
A-Liao twirled her “Empire State Building” a few times before reluctantly covering it up again.
“Why is everyone silent?” A-Liao asked.
Zheng Ling forced a smile. “You really shocked me. This is the first time I’ve seen Teacher Shu completely lose her composure.”
Shu Xuan’s face had gone rainbow-colored. Today had been… eye-opening.
Xiao Ying hid in the bathroom, terrified. She swore she’d go pray at a temple to retrieve her lost soul.
Once A-Liao was settled, the group finally left the hospital.
In the car, everyone sat in stunned silence.
Zheng Ling tried to lighten the mood. “I think… she must have her reasons.”
“Boss Zheng, could you not?” Xiao Ying wailed. “I was just starting to forget!”
Shu Xuan had composed herself and drank a few sips of water.
Just then, Zheng Ling’s phone rang—it was Director Hou.
“Hello, Director Hou,” she answered, regaining her composure.
“Boss Zheng,” Hou said politely, “about our security team captain—you beat him up, remember?”
“What? Is he out of the hospital?”
“Well, he’d like to meet in person to apologize to you and your family.”
“Alright, I’ll ask my Teacher Shu first.”
After hanging up, Shu Xuan asked, “That’s about what happened before?”
“Mm. Director Hou says the captain wants to apologize to both of us. Do you have time tomorrow morning?” Zheng Ling asked, still unsure what the man was really planning.