"It’s just beginning."

"As for that Wang fellow, I’ve already had the discipline committee invite him for a chat," my father said blandly. "As for that female celebrity, handle her cleanly yourself; leave no loose ends."

"Understood."

I hung up and took a deep breath, finally exhaling some of the stifled, murky air I had been carrying for two years.

But it wasn't enough.

Far from enough.

I opened Weibo; Vanessa's name was already trending at number one.

#Vanessa Su Corporation#

#Chairman of Su Corporation makes a personal appearance at the conference#

#Vanessa's endorsement becomes a mystery#

The comment section had already exploded.

Her fans were frantically controlling the narrative, claiming the Su Corporation was elevating their idol and giving her the highest honor.

Some rumor mills were also starting to speculate that Vanessa was about to marry into a wealthy family.

I looked at these ridiculous statements, my fingers sliding lightly across the screen.

Then, I clicked into the "core fan group" of Vanessa's, where I had been lurking for two years.

In the group, that screenshot of my memo was still pinned to the top.

Beneath it were thousands of comments filled with abuse and mockery directed at me.

I found the group owner, "V-Light Always Shines," who was also the head of Vanessa's fan base and the one who had insulted me the most viciously in the past.

I clicked on her avatar and hit "Add Friend."

In the friend request, I wrote only one sentence:

"Do you want to know how Vanessa really got the Su Corporation endorsement?"

She accepted instantly.

A chat window popped up.

"What do you mean? Stop playing games!"

Chapter 2

"It doesn't mean anything."

I leaned back in the car seat and typed slowly.

"I just think you all are quite pitiful, being sold out while still helping the one who sold you count the money."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting! You stalker, are you addicted to clinging to our Vanessa's fame? Do you want me to kick you out of the group right now?!"

The other person’s reaction was intense and swift, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

I chuckled lightly. Without wasting any more words on her, I sent over a recording.

The recording was very short, only ten seconds long.

It was the recording from when Vanessa’s assistant, Lily, called me that day.

"...Don't think that just because Vanessa announced this partnership, you can climb any higher. These are influential people coming today. You are just a student, so don't embarrass her."

That condescending tone, that undisguised contempt, was piercingly clear.

The group owner, "V-Light Always Shines," fell silent.

A full minute passed before she sent a message.

"Is... is this Lily's voice? Where did you get this? You synthesized this, right!"

"Whether it's synthesized or not, you know in your heart."

I replied, and then sent a screenshot.

It was my chat history with Vanessa.

The time was half a year ago.

Me: [I asked someone to get you a ticket for that show, front row.]

Vanessa: [Really? Love you, baby! Mua~]

On the other side was a screenshot of a chat between Vanessa and her male best friend, Julian, which I had accidentally seen when her phone was unlocked.

Vanessa: [Got the ticket, that fool of a fan of mine sent it.]

Julian: [You’ve always had a way, keeping him wrapped around your finger.]

Vanessa: [No choice, he's just easy to trick.]

The two screenshots placed side-by-side were dripping with irony.

"V-Light Always Shines" fell into a deathly silence again.

This silence lasted even longer than the last.

I could imagine how spectacular her expression must be on the other side of the screen.

Her faith in her idol was collapsing, inch by inch, in the face of cold, hard facts.

After a long while, she sent a series of ellipses.

[...]

Then, another line.

[Who exactly are you?]

This question was more practical than "Why are you doing this?"

People in fan circles know best how to avoid harm and pursue profit.

"A fool who was deceived by her for two years."

After sending this, I ignored her.

I knew the seed of doubt had been planted; it would soon take root and sprout in her heart, then spread to the entire fan group.

I didn't need to do anything; I only needed to wait.

Wait for them to discover for themselves exactly what kind of person their proud, "clear-headed" superstar really is.

Outside the car window, the city neon began to flicker.

I drove to a private club.

Pushing open the door to the private room, my sister, Chloe, was sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, swirling a glass of red wine in her hand.

"Yo, our family's great romantic, have you finally decided to cut ties?"

She raised an eyebrow when she saw me, her tone full of teasing.

"Sis, please, stop laughing at me." I sat opposite her, feeling helpless, and poured myself a glass of water.

"I'm laughing at you?" Chloe put down her wine glass, leaned forward, and stared at me with her beautiful phoenix eyes. "I'm heartbroken for you! Aiden, look at yourself over these past two years—what have you let yourself become for that woman? The whole internet is insulting you, and you’re acting like it’s nothing. If Dad hadn't stepped in today, were you planning to keep being a 'devoted little fan'?"

"Isn't that what I'm solving now?" I rubbed my temples.

"Solving? You call this solving?" Chloe sneered. "You just lit the fuse of the bomb; you haven't truly made it explode. That Vanessa is no pushover. She must be acting like a mad dog right now, doing everything in her power to take a bite out of you."

"I know."

"You know?" Chloe raised her voice. "You know, and you still ran here by yourself? Let me tell you, she can't reach you now; her next step will be to find me, or go straight to block Dad. Someone like her, in order to climb higher, is capable of anything."

As she spoke, Chloe’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID, sneered, and put it on speaker.

"Hello?"

"Chloe! It's me, Vanessa!" Vanessa’s voice came through the receiver, filled with a deliberately ingratiating sweetness. "Are you free now? I’d like to treat you to a meal; there are some things... I want to explain to you and Aiden in person."

She really had come knocking.

"Explain?" Chloe’s tone was languid. "Explain what? Explain how you were leading my brother on while flirting with that Wang fellow? Or explain how you took the limited-edition watch my brother gave you and immediately hung it on a second-hand website to sell?"

Vanessa’s breath hitched on the other end of the line.

"Chloe... you... you knew? It’s all a misunderstanding! I really have nothing with Vice President Wang; it was just normal socializing. And that watch, my assistant accidentally lost it, and I was afraid Aiden would be angry, so..."

"Enough, Vanessa." Chloe interrupted her impatiently. "Save that ghost story for your fans. My brother doesn't want to see you now, and neither do I. Don't call again. In the Su family, we have nothing to explain to you."

With that, Chloe hung up and blocked the number.

"See?" She tossed her phone onto the table. "That’s her level; lies roll off her tongue, and her skin is thicker than a city wall. Did you think that by humiliating her at the press conference today, she would just let it go?"

"I didn't think that." I looked at her calmly. "Sis, I need you to do me a favor."

Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Speak."

"Help me arrange a meeting with Julian."

"Julian?" Chloe paused. "You mean that 'male best friend' of Vanessa's who is always trending with her?"

"Right."

"Why do you want to meet him? That kid is just a bootlicker, Vanessa’s loyal dog. And he's oily to the core, always posting press releases online claiming he's the 'Prince of the Beijing Circle'; I want to vomit just looking at it," Chloe said with disgust.

"It’s precisely because he is Vanessa’s loyal dog that I have to meet him." I picked up my water glass and took a sip. "A dog pushed into a corner will bite its master back."

Chloe looked at me, a glimmer of realization flashing in her eyes.

She smiled and picked up her wine glass again.

"Alright, Aiden. You’ve grown up. You know how to play mind games now."

She swirled the red wine in her glass. "This toast, Sis offers to you; wishing you a speedy departure from this sea of bitterness and a chance to strike down the scumbag."

I didn't speak; I just smiled.

Strike down the scumbag?

No.

What I want is to see her fall from the clouds into the mud and be shattered into pieces.

I want her to watch with her own eyes how everything she painstakingly built turns into nothing, piece by piece, by my hands.