Chapter 115: Give Her a Hand

A classic song came to an end, and Fang Wei stepped off the stage, catching sight of the barrage of comments flooding the livestream. A sudden wave of panic washed over her, and her first instinct was to consult Yin Shanshan. But at that very moment, Yin Shanshan had already taken the microphone and was walking onstage to begin the next segment.

Completely at a loss, Fang Wei spotted Director Wang Zan backstage. “Director, what do we do now?”

Before Wang Zan could speak, Chen Rui, who was standing nearby, cut in. “Ms. Fang, this is really not the way to handle things. Take a look at the show’s official account—our private messages are being flooded with abuse. The event was your idea, and you were the one singing. So why are we the ones getting dragged through the mud?”

When they had first invited Fang Wei to return, the production team had sworn up and down that they would usher in a glorious new chapter for her comeback here. Yet now, barely any time had passed before they showed their true colors once trouble arrived.

Fang Wei stood backstage in her performance gown, her bare arms exposed to the night breeze. A chill ran through her, raising goosebumps, and she felt cold from her head down to the soles of her feet. She stopped crying, and her expression settled into calm as she spoke. “Don’t worry. I won’t drag the show into this.”

At the same moment, Yin Shanshan came down from the stage. The moment she saw that Fang Wei was still wearing her previous outfit, she frowned in displeasure. “Why are you still in that dress? Go change into your next costume—the audience is waiting!”

Fang Wei started to walk, and as she passed Yin Shanshan, she asked quietly, “What audience?”

Yin Shanshan froze. By the time she turned around in astonishment, all she saw was Fang Wei’s silhouette disappearing through the dressing-room doorway. Yin Shanshan’s frown deepened. Just then, the makeup artist stepped forward with a powder puff to touch up her face, but Yin Shanshan waved her away with a look of disgust. “Enough! Can’t you see I’m busy dealing with things?”

Every staff member backstage fell silent, heads bowed as they busied themselves with their tasks, careful not to provoke the temperamental celebrity.

Fang Wei changed and went back onstage to perform, but after her signature song, the next few numbers barely drew a reaction. The audience below was visibly thinning by the minute. By the end, the concert—promoted with such fanfare beforehand—was wrapped up hastily, and Fang Wei never even got the chance to return to the stage for the grand finale.

That night, “Fang Wei Outdoor Concert” shot up the trending list. Countless fans and bystanders piled on with condemnation, and the fiercest abuse, unsurprisingly, landed on the production team.

At this moment, Wang Zan sat in the staff lounge, his mind a mess. The seat beside him, where Chen Rui should have been, was empty; Chen Rui was outside fielding calls from countless sponsors.

More staff members filled the lounge, all wearing grim expressions. “We’ve tried reaching out to any number of PR teams, but the negative trending topic is still up there. We can’t get it taken down.”

“Director, some sponsors are threatening to pull their funding.”

“The Chen Family milk powder brand says we’ve breached the contract and is demanding compensation.”

One piece of bad news after another arrived, and Wang Zan’s face turned ashen. He slammed his fist hard against the table, the sound ringing through the room, making everyone flinch. “Didn’t Fang Wei say she’d handle this herself? What’s she doing about it?”

At that moment, Chen Rui pushed open the door and stepped inside, catching the tail end of the remark. He let out a dismissive snort. “What can she do? She’s probably off crying somewhere right now.”

Around the same time, Fang Wei climbed down from the RV, her eyes rimmed with red, and walked quickly to the side. She had just been through a row with Yin Shanshan, which only ended because Yin Shanshan claimed she had other things to attend to. Yin Shanshan was always forceful like that—the moment she had her own business, she commandeered the RV. Fang Wei, unwilling to share the same space with her, was left to step out into the cold wind.

She walked down the mountain road, her mind blank, unsure where to go. She had spent so many years as a housewife, completely cut off from the world outside. Even after her comeback, she hadn’t reached out to her management team or her agency—it had been only her and Yin Shanshan, her one supposed ally. And now, Yin Shanshan had made it clear she would do nothing at all.

Fang Wei pulled out her phone and opened her social media app. The red notification dots glared back at her, alarming in their number. She didn’t have the courage to tap on them.

As she made her way down the winding mountain road, a car sped past her. Inside, Su Wanning caught sight of the figure outside and frowned. “Pull over.”

The driver brought the car to a stop. Su Wanning turned to Yu Xin and Tian Boyu, who were in the vehicle with her. “I’m going to go check on her. You two take the kids home first.”

Yu Xin looked back, puzzled. “It’s pitch black out here. What are you going out for?”

“It’s nothing.”

Without elaborating, Su Wanning opened the door, stepped out, and walked quickly to catch up with Fang Wei ahead. “Fang Wei!”

Fang Wei turned at the sound of her name. Seeing Su Wanning, her expression only grew more dejected, and her grip on the phone tightened. “Is something the matter?”

Su Wanning glanced at how Fang Wei was holding her phone and immediately guessed what was on her mind. “If I were you, I wouldn’t go public at a time like this, taking all the blame onto yourself.”

At Su Wanning’s words, Fang Wei’s eyes widened slightly, and she sounded genuinely taken aback. “How did you know what I was planning to do?”

Su Wanning sighed inwardly and barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes on the spot. She couldn’t quite understand what Fang Wei was thinking, and yet a part of her couldn’t help but sympathize. So she took the time to explain, forcing herself to stay patient. “Your fans have been fighting for you all along. They’ve been defending you, standing up to the production team on your behalf. Even if the show isn’t entirely at fault, if you come out now and shoulder all the blame yourself, it’ll only make your fans feel like all the care they poured into you was wasted on somebody who doesn’t deserve it.”

Su Wanning’s words were blunt, but the logic was sound. When she finished, Fang Wei fell silent. A cold gust of night wind blew past, and she felt her head clear considerably. She put her phone away and nodded to Su Wanning. “Thank you. And thank you for helping me sing today.”

“It was my daughter who did the singing, not me, so there’s nothing to thank me for. I’ll be on my way.”

With that, Su Wanning turned and walked away without a second thought. Behind her, Fang Wei watched her retreating figure, her expression growing more complicated by the moment.

Late that night, the production team hastily released a statement, claiming that their program’s rules had been improperly designed and that they had failed to consider the guest’s feelings. The announcement managed to quell some of the fans’ fury, but the torrent of abuse aimed at the show showed no signs of stopping.

When the evening livestream began, everyone gathered around the low table to eat, yet the atmosphere was heavy and tense. Yin Shanshan, however, smiled as if nothing were wrong, turning to look at Fang Wei, who was quietly drinking her porridge. “Xiao Fang, congratulations. No matter what, I’m glad to see you finally back on that stage.”