“One could become addicted upon excess consumption,” Jiang Jiusheng added.

Mo Bing knew that Jiang Jiusheng suffered from severe insomnia and relied heavily on sleeping pills. Although she was her manager, she did not know the cause of the insomnia except that Jiang Jiusheng occasionally sought psychological counseling.

Mo Bing did not buy into Jiang Jiusheng’s claim that her insomnia was stress-induced. How could her talented artiste—blessed with natural talent and with full access to any support that she might for need—be stressed? Only wannabes who were lacking in talent would be stressed out. Jiang Jiusheng had everything in her favor, so how could she be stressed?

Oh, right. She did lack something: a pair of exquisitely beautiful hands that belonged exclusively to her. Coincidentally, Doctor Shi fit the bill.

Making her stand, Mo Bing said, “Let’s play it by ear, then.” And, with a straight face, she continued, “But do let me know when you hit home base. I’ll get you the most comfortable condoms.”

Jiang Jiusheng remained silent.

At that moment, the door opened, and in walked Lin Anzhi, who had come for Mo Bing. To Jiang Jiusheng, Lin Anzhi was an acquaintance that she had met through Mo Bing—one of the few friends she had.

“How’s the arm?” Lin Anzhi asked by way of greeting.

Like Mo Bing, Lin Anzhi was 28 years old and had already won three awards for best actor. Although they were not the renowned awards coveted by industry players, he had been the youngest Best Actor winner at Tian Yu before he’d left to join Warner Bros. Formerly an idol and with no formal training in acting, he had often been cast in roles that appealed to the audience and did not require any in-depth acting, receiving mixed reviews. He had received just as many accolades as thumbs-downs.

“Just a dislocation,” Jiang Jiusheng responded and asked in turn, “What about you?”

She was referring to the leg injury he had suffered the previous week while doing a scene. Mo Bing had brushed it aside, claiming that it wasn’t a serious injury, so Jiang Jiusheng was none the wiser. He was certainly not limping.

“I’m walking fine, nothing serious,” Lin Anzhi said, then handed Jiang Jiusheng a business card. “This old man is an excellent traditional bone healer. I’m taking Mo Bing there for a consultation. You should go too, when time permits.”

“Okay.”

“So, we’re out of here.”

Jiang Jiusheng nodded.

Lin Anzhi supported Mo Bing as she walked, reminding her, “Walk slowly.”

Mo Bing relented and leaned her body weight against his arm.

Watching them, Jiang Jiusheng wondered what love was really about. Taking that pair as an example, Lin Anzhi was considered the strong and silent type, not prone to extreme action, and yet, Jiang Jiusheng had witnessed him fly continuously for two days just to see Mo Bing. And Mo Bing, on the other end, a seasoned and assertive professional, had been seen wailing and calling out Lin Anzhi’s name in her drunken stupor. Their romance could certainly have been described as tumultuous and earth-shattering.

Lin Anzhi stopped when he saw Mo Bing frowning.

“Does it hurt?” he asked.

Mo Bing smiled. “What if it does?”

In a serious tone, he added, “Let my assistant give you a piggyback ride.”

Mo Bing glared at him; his assistant was male.

“My leg still hurts, so I cannot help you,” he explained.

Mo Bing continued to glare at him.

Laughing softly, Lin Anzhi said gently, “But my hand is not hurt, so I will hold your hand.” Smiling, he extended his hand to Mo Bing.

Mo Bing hesitated, her eyes scouring the surroundings. Seeing the medical personnel outside the VIP room, she panicked and retreated. “Paparazzi.”

No longer smiling, Lin Anzhi grabbed Mo Bing’s hand. “This is a VIP ward,” he said. “The media have no access.”

Mo Bing simply smiled, not saying a word. Like her, Lin Anzhi had never made anything about them public.

Mo Bing was fully aware of the challenges that Lin Anzhi had endured, from the time he’d debuted as a model through to the eventual recognition of his work in the form of the three Best Actor awards. She knew that any accolades handed out by the entertainment industry would have to be repaid many times over. During his arduous journey to fame and glory, his life had been bound by various unspoken rules, and he had been called many things—sometimes derogatory, ranging from “young punk” to “idol,””eye candy,” or “underhanded…”

As a professional manager, Mo Bing fully understood that he had only to make one wrong turn to send him into a downward spiral. So, how could she stand in his way and crush his ambition—his well-thought plan to succeed? The past 10 years had been fraught with fights and separations, but, in the end, she always caved in, so much so that it had become the norm. She often wondered about the reason behind Lin Anzhi’s personal goal, which had already taken up ten years of his life.

Holding Mo Bing’s hand and stepping into the elevator, Lin Anzhi said, “I’ve applied for two weeks’ leave to let my leg heal and rest. Is there anywhere in particular you want to visit?”

Mo Bing looked at his leg and then at hers, saying, “Stay home and recover.”

Agreeing, Lin Anzhi added, “Just as well. We could try out the condoms you recommended to Sheng.”

Mo Bing said nothing.

To the public, Lin Anzhi was a cool and emotionless dude, but to her, he always behaved casually.

“Lin Anzhi, you have destroyed your own persona,” she reminded him.

Laughing, he pushed her against the elevator wall and kissed her hard.

At nine in the morning, a message appeared on the official TheNine Weibo account.

TheNine band V: November 11th, See you at Yun Cheng Stadium. @JiangJiusheng V @Zhan Fanglin V @Li Ranran V @Zhang Nai V

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Jiusheng forwarded the message without any further comment. It was obvious that Liu Xu had been kicked out of TheNine, and the news brought about a positive response on the internet.

ShengYe’s_SecretLover002: I declare my love for my hubby! Love ya @JiangJiusheng V

QianQian_Jam: Liu Xu that two-timing actress is finally gone. What happiness!

FearNot_Security: Nicely done! Kudos to Mo Bing. @MoBing V

Teach_Wannabe: Sheng Ye, do you still need a keyboard player? Come, bed warmer. @JiangJiusheng V

4XGal: Used and then discarded. This is too much! @JiangJiusheng V

SlimDog to @4XGal: You paid assassin! Let’s chat. Your boss here will double whatever that Liu woman promised!

4XGal to @SlimDog: I’m just a bystander fan, stating the facts as I see them. Stop slandering me.

ShengYeMyBoss: Sheng fans, let’s unite and show these trolls what character assassination really means! @JiangJiusheng_FanClub_JiangBei V

The drums of war were beating wildly, and it was a fight for survival!

Reading the alert from the fan club, Tan Mobao rapidly typed out a 500-word article hurling abuse at the trolls but managing to leave out any vulgarity. She edited it and was about ready to hit Enter to publish it when—

A message appeared on the screen: Your account is showing abnormal activity and will be temporarily shut down pending further investigation.

Darn it! She had only just begun to declare her love for her hubby, and now she was being shut down!

In her rage, Tan Baobao wanted to hit somebody or smash up the keyboard. Gritting her teeth, she opened one of her generic accounts, similar to the 100 little generic accounts she had used before. Just as well that she’d had the foresight to come prepared. Using a new tag, she sent a new message.

ShengYe’s_SecretLover003: You jerk, I know who you are! I am Sheng Ye’s one true love, so buzz off! @Sheng_4ever

Sheng_4ever to ShengYe’s_SecretLover003: Have you looked in the mirror lately?

Oh…! Unforgivable!

Tan Mobao flexed her fingers and typed another 500 words, preparing to send it—

Your account is showing abnormal activity and will be temporarily shut down pending further investigation.

“Darn it!” Tan Mobao cried. She was furious.

Two minutes later…

ShengYe’s_SecretLover004: I have a hundred accounts to play with! Show me what you’ve got! @Sheng_4ever

No response this time.

ShengYe’s_SecretLover004: Had enough? Call me Daddy, and I will let you off! @Sheng_4ever

As soon as this second message was pushed out, that same irritating message appeared again on-screen: Your account is showing abnormal activity and will be temporarily shut down for further investigation.

Tan Mobao was speechless, ready to hit someone.

Okay, so this rival has a lot of patience and time to spar with me. No problem. I will buy another 100 Weibo accounts!

At that moment, her mobile rang.

Tan Mobao picked it up.

“Yes,” she said. “This is her.”

The person at the other end posed a question.

Tan Mobao replied immediately, “Not a fictitious name. A stage name… So ShengYe’s Lover cannot be used as a stage name? Then what about ShengYe’s Lover…? Oh. Not that, either. How about using my real name, then? My name is Tan Aisheng… That’s right, Sheng. As in Sheng Ye. Okay, I will send you the music for the talent show. Thank you, sister. Love you.”

Hanging up, Tan Mobao took some time to regain her composure before sending her hubby a message using her sock puppet.