Became the Terminally Ill Supporting Male Lead's Rabbit Spirit

Chapter 45

Lu Zhe had never paid attention to the entertainment industry or watched variety shows. Looking at the abusive comments in the danmu (bullet screen comments), his dark eyes grew cold.0

He casually scanned through several messages criticizing Su Ci for participating in a food show, acting arrogant, being ungrateful by not accepting Qin Shiyan's goodwill, and accusing her of having plastic surgery.0

Lu Zhe noticed that all the dishes placed in front of Su Ci contained rabbit meat, which she didn't touch, eating only the side dishes instead.0

Meanwhile, the guests around her were eating heartily.0

She had become the target of criticism.0

Lu Zhe's eyes turned ice-cold; he knew better than anyone why Su Ci wouldn't eat rabbit meat.0

But he couldn't understand why refusing to eat rabbit meat warranted such attacks. As for netizens accusing Su Ci of plastic surgery, it was even more incomprehensible - were their eyes medical scanners? How could they determine if someone had plastic surgery through a screen?0

"Young Master," Old Cao waited outside the building.0

Lu Zhe got in the car, "Uncle Cao, I need to go to the film studio on Green Banyan Road."0

Old Cao quickly responded, "Yes, Young Master."0

Sensing the tense atmosphere in the car, Old Cao couldn't help but glance in the rearview mirror, noticing that the young master's expression didn't look good.0

Still recording the show, Su Ci had tried every side dish but hadn't touched a single piece of rabbit meat. She wasn't aware of the comments about her in the danmu, but even if she knew, she still wouldn't eat rabbit meat.0

The director, who had his phone and was monitoring online comments, felt bad seeing so many netizens attacking Su Ci. He kindly suggested, "Su Ci, the spicy rabbit head is really delicious, why don't you try some?"0

Su Ci declined again: "I'm sorry, Director, but I don't eat rabbit meat."0

"Who is this newcomer Su Ci? She won't even listen to the director? So unprofessional."0

"LOL, what makes her think she's bigger than my Shiyan?"0

"Are all these people attacking the newcomer Qin Shiyan's fans?"0

"Since when is not wanting to eat rabbit meat a crime? Can you stop focusing on Su Ci? Why not pay attention to Nan Yi instead? He's eating so much, truly a foodie..."0

"Watching Shiyan eat makes me hungry, totally different from someone putting on airs."0

The livestream only lasted 40 minutes. By the end, Su Ci noticed that Nan Yi across from her had finished all his rabbit meat, and Guan Jing beside him had done the same.0

Xie Yumin had also eaten quite a bit. Although Qin Shiyan had been eating continuously, she chewed each bite slowly, taking over ten chews before swallowing. Her pace wasn't fast, and she hadn't actually eaten much of the rabbit meat in front of her, but she created the illusion of eating a lot by constantly having food in her mouth.0

As for Su Ci, she had finished all the side dishes but hadn't touched any rabbit meat.0

As soon as the recording ended, Qin Shiyan immediately asked her assistant to bring her digestive medicine, while Guan Jing had someone help her to the bathroom to purge.0

The male guest Nan Yi wasn't looking well either. He leaned back in his chair uncomfortably, holding his stomach, his naturally pale face growing even paler.0

His assistant quickly brought him a cup of hot water, "Brother Nan, take your medicine quickly."0

When Nan Yi debuted, his company had created a foodie persona for him, and fans loved watching him eat. Whenever he was on camera or in front of fans, he maintained this image of a big eater.0

Having just finished so much rabbit meat, he was already stuffed. Given that Nan Yi already had stomach problems, eating so much at once was too much for his stomach to handle.0

"Ci Ci, this is how tough the entertainment industry is. Though we might look glamorous on the surface, everyone has to work hard just to get a bit more attention and love from the audience and fans," Qin Shiyan advised Su Ci. "Ci Ci, there's no need for you to suffer like this if you're so delicate."0

"Oh," Su Ci responded casually, her attention not on Qin Shiyan's words at all, but rather on Xie Yumin to her right.0

Qin Shiyan felt a bit awkward, "Ci Ci, I have another schedule to attend, I need to go. If you need anything, feel free to contact me anytime."0

Su Ci couldn't be bothered to respond and instead asked Xie Yumin, "Can I have your contact information?"0

Qin Shiyan maintained her composed expression, brushed her hair, and left.0

Xie Yumin was surprised at being asked for her contact information, as she and Su Ci had barely exchanged five sentences throughout the show. "Sure."0

After adding each other as friends, Su Ci continued asking Xie Yumin: "Are you free on Friday?"0

Xie Yumin thought this extraordinarily beautiful girl might be too friendly.0

She asked Su Ci, "Is there something going on?"0

Su Ci thought for a moment and said, "Friday is my birthday. I don't have many friends, and I'd like to invite you to my birthday party."0

Today was Tuesday, and Xie Yumin would die on Friday, which happened to be her birthday. Since she couldn't keep watching Xie Yumin constantly, she needed to keep her close by. Surely Xie Yumin wouldn't commit suicide at her birthday party.0

Xie Yumin hadn't expected Su Ci to invite her to her birthday party. "I'm sorry, I..."0

"I really hope you can come," Su Ci looked at Xie Yumin with her large, moist eyes. "When I first saw you, I felt an instant connection. I want to be friends with you."0

Su Ci was beautiful and naturally drew people in. With her deliberately softened voice and bright, dewy eyes, anyone would melt at such a look.0

Xie Yumin had a cold, aloof exterior that made people feel distant, and others found her difficult to approach. This was the first time she'd met someone so beautiful who actively wanted to be her friend.0

"I don't have any friends, and I really hope you can come to my birthday party," Su Ci wasn't lying - she truly didn't have any friends here.0

At that moment, Xie Yumin's manager came over to inform her that the car was ready, as she had another appointment to attend.0

Xie Yumin stood up and looked down at Su Ci, "Send me the time and location."0

Su Ci's eyes curved into a smile, "No problem."0

It seemed no one could resist her charm, except for that stone-cold Lu Zhe!0

Su Ci also stood up to leave when Xu Duo came rushing over with a phone.0

"Something else?" Su Ci was momentarily dazzled by Xu Duo's green outfit, thinking he looked like a walking tree.0

Xu Duo came up to Su Ci, "You're trending."0

Su Ci wasn't particularly surprised. In the past, she had been a regular on trending topics just because of her face, practically owning a yearly subscription to the trending list. Now that she was even more beautiful than before, trending was normal. "What nice things are people saying about me?"0

Xu Duo looked at her with a complicated expression, "They're not praising you. Look for yourself - they're criticizing you."0

Su Ci took the phone. The trending topic read: Qin Shiyan's First Variety Show Appearance, Kindly Offers Food But Gets Rejected.0

"The headline is about Qin Shiyan, what does it have to do with me?" Su Ci was bewildered, noting that even the title featured Qin Shiyan.0

"Click and read it," Xu Duo hadn't expected Su Ci's first show appearance to trend like this, piggybacking on someone else's popularity and getting criticized.0

Su Ci clicked on the trending topic. It contained a video clip from Qin Shiyan's food livestream, showing not only segments of Qin Shiyan eating but also the part where she offered food to Su Ci and was rejected.0

Most of the comments were from Qin Shiyan's fans.0

"Qin Shiyan is so beautiful, her skin is amazing."0

"Shiyan is too thin, she should eat more."0

"Watching Shiyan eat makes me hungry too."0

"Why did that guest next to her reject our Shiyan's offered food?"0

"I wish Yanyan would offer me food too, the guest next to her is so ungrateful."0

"I watched the livestream, that female guest was so stuck up. Everyone was eating rabbit meat, but she pretentiously refused. So annoying. Our Shiyan is so famous but has no celebrity pretenses, that's why she's my idol."0

"Not a fan of either, but just from the video, this female guest is really beautiful."0

"To the comment above, the female guest obviously paid for better camera effects. Whenever the camera shows her face, it glows white, her skin looks even better than Qin Shiyan's, it's so fake."0

"I hate this Su Ci guest, she even copied our Shiyan by having a small tear mole under her eye corner, that's our Shiyan's signature!!!"0

As Su Ci read more, she became increasingly frustrated. Were all of Qin Shiyan's fans brainless? What was wrong with her not eating the food Qin Shiyan offered? Which law stated that one must eat food offered by others? And why was she being criticized for not eating rabbit meat?0

All of that was somewhat tolerable, but being accused of plastic surgery was something Su Ci absolutely couldn't stand. They could question anything about her, but not her natural beauty!0

Moreover, Qin Shiyan's fans even claimed that her beauty mark was copied from Qin Shiyan? This completely crossed Su Ci's line.0

She had seen Qin Shiyan's old photos - Qin Shiyan only got her beauty mark a few months ago. How did it suddenly become her exclusive trademark?0

Xu Duo noticed Su Ci's unhappy expression and tried to comfort her: "For your first TV show recording, trending on social media isn't necessarily bad. Even negative attention is still attention. Besides, she's currently popular and has a company and team backing her promotional efforts. You haven't signed with any company and don't have any resources behind you. You'll just have to take this loss."0

Su Ci handed the phone back to him, "I hate losing the most." She wasn't planning to let this go.0

"What are you going to do?" Xu Duo was a bit surprised, knowing Su Ci was just a girl without money or connections.0

"I'll handle it," Su Ci didn't elaborate. Just then, she received a message from Lu Zhe.0

Outside, a black car was waiting.0

Su Ci got in and immediately saw Lu Zhe in the seat.0

He was wearing a white dress shirt today, crisp and well-fitted, made of high-quality fabric. The buttons were done up to the top of the collar, and the young man's cool demeanor gave off an inexplicable sense of restraint.0

Usually, Lu Zhe wore either the white and blue school uniform or simple black t-shirts. This was the first time Su Ci had seen him in a white dress shirt.0

She found herself mesmerized.0

"How was the recording today?" Lu Zhe grabbed a bottle of mineral water from beside him, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her.0

Su Ci took a couple of small sips, her lips becoming more moist and glossy. She shook her head and looked at Lu Zhe pitifully, "It wasn't fun at all."0

"Did you watch my livestream?" Su Ci complained to Lu Zhe: "The director must have something against rabbits - he prepared an all-rabbit feast. I didn't eat any of it, and now I'm being criticized on social media."0

Lu Zhe: "It's not your fault."0

"Of course it's not my fault." Su Ci was very annoyed.0

Seeing the girl puffing up with anger, and thinking of the online abuse directed at her, Lu Zhe spoke up: "I'll help you get revenge."0

"Hmm?"0

Though Lu Zhe now lived at the Lu residence, he hadn't given up his rented apartment yet.0

At his place, Lu Zhe sat at the computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard.0

Su Ci had been curious about how Lu Zhe planned to help her get revenge. Now she watched as the young man deleted one negative comment after another about her from the bullet screen comments, even banning those accounts from posting. Her heart warmed.0

Su Ci remembered when she first entered the entertainment industry and was deliberately targeted by haters. Back then, she was fighting alone, creating alternate accounts to argue back one by one, even spending money to hire comment armies.0

But now things were different.0

She watched the serious-faced young man, joy hidden in her eyes.0

Lu Zhe was impressive - he not only deleted all the comments criticizing her but even removed the trending topic. Su Ci didn't know how he managed it. "Lu Zhe, you're amazing." She could have paid someone to remove the trending topic, but this was different.0

Lu Zhe was protecting her now.0

After finishing his work, Lu Zhe stopped typing, "Don't worry, their accounts will be banned from commenting for the next month. They'll just think their accounts are malfunctioning."0

Su Ci wasn't even thinking about those netizens anymore. She had been angry, but didn't actually care that much. She had just been acting pitiful in front of Lu Zhe to tease him.0

She hadn't expected the young man to take it so seriously.0

Su Ci swung one leg over him, straddling his legs, and sat on his lap, smiling at him. "Lu Zhe, how much longer can I stay in human form?"0

"Two days," Lu Zhe kept track in his mind.0

"Then you should kiss me," Su Ci said matter-of-factly.0

Lu Zhe was forced to lean back in his chair. He looked helplessly at the girl as she reached out to unbutton his shirt. "I can kiss you, but why are you unbuttoning my shirt?"0

"Isn't it uncomfortable with your collar buttoned so tight?" The young man's buttons were done up tightly, making them difficult to undo.0

Her small hands fumbled around his neck area. Lu Zhe grabbed her wandering hands with his larger ones, holding them behind her back. "Stop fidgeting, I'll undo them myself."0

The girl was forced to straighten her back, making her upper body curves more prominent.0

Lu Zhe was about to let go, worried about hurting her, when Su Ci lifted her delicate chin and gave him a testing look, asking suggestively: "Are you trying to force a kiss on me?"0

Lu Zhe tried to keep a straight face. "No."0

"Then let's try it." Su Ci found it thrilling.0

Lu Zhe didn't want to indulge the girl's strange ideas. "Get down, I'll take you home."0

Su Ci deliberately wiggled in his arms, clinging to him softly, "Kiss me quick, you're not a man if you don't!"0

Lu Zhe's eyes darkened. He gave the mischievous girl a long look and chuckled, "Tuantuan, you really are..."0

Really what?0

Su Ci didn't hear the end of it. Her hands were still held behind her back by the young man's large hands, and then she was forced to lean against the edge of the computer desk, the wooden edge digging uncomfortably into her back.0

Lu Zhe lowered his head, his cool thin lips meeting Su Ci's small mouth. Unlike the usual light, fleeting kisses or gentle caresses, the heavy pressure made Su Ci's lips hurt.0

Until her teeth were forced open by his insistent pressure, her mind went blank.0

After what seemed like forever, Su Ci was truly weak this time. She licked her lips, knowing without looking in a mirror that they must be swollen.0

She deliberately took a sharp breath and accused Lu Zhe, "Are you part dog? You bit me!"0

The cool composure had long since left Lu Zhe's features. He looked down at the girl - her lips were a beautiful red and glistening wet. He ran his thumb over them and chuckled, "Next time you misbehave, I won't just bite you here."0

Su Ci blinked in disbelief. Oh no, oh no, her young man had turned bad.0

When Su Ci got home, she received three large bank transfers one after another.0

They were from Su's Father, Su's Mother, and her older brother Su ZhiYuan.0

Su Ci was surprised - why were they all sending her money?0

"Ci Ci, you're back?" Su's Mother had been waiting in the living room.0

"Mom, why did you transfer money to me again?" Su Ci went over to sit down.0

"Mom watched your livestream. My daughter is so beautiful - those netizens have no taste. Ci Ci, don't mind what they say." During the livestream, Su's Mother had watched the whole time. Seeing her daughter being abused by netizens made her both angry and heartbroken.0

"I'm not bothered by what they say." Just Qin Shiyan's brainless fans.0

Su's Mother saw that her daughter's expression was normal, her fair face still carrying a light blush, looking healthy. Indeed, she showed no signs of being hurt, which made her mother breathe a sigh of relief.0

"But why did you, dad, and brother all transfer money to me?" The three transfers added up to nine figures.0

"Your father and brother sent you money too?" Su's Mother said with a smile: "We were worried you might be feeling down, so we wanted you to go shopping to cheer yourself up." They hadn't expected their daughter to be completely unbothered.0

Just as Su's Mother finished speaking, Su Ci received a message from Su's Father: "Little Ci, if anything makes you unhappy, just tell dad. Dad will help you solve it."0

Even her older brother Su ZhiYuan sent a message: "Whoever bullies you, big brother will bully them back."0

Su Ci blinked, hiding the moisture in her eyes.0

She felt that being spoiled by so many people would only make her more pampered and willful.0

Meanwhile, after leaving the recording site, Qin Shiyan was informed by her manager that she was trending on social media. Seeing her fans' abuse of Su Ci in the comments, she had to admit it felt as refreshing as eating ice on a hot day.0

The precious Su family young lady, actually being despised and cursed by so many people - how could she not feel secretly delighted?0

"Xiao Yan, your first variety show appearance had great results," her manager praised with satisfaction.0

During the recording earlier, she was worried that Qin Shiyan's spotlight might be stolen by the new female guest, but unexpectedly, the latter made a fatal mistake, causing many netizens to dislike her, essentially handing over popularity to Qin Shiyan.0

"That new female guest doesn't seem very smart. You can interact with her again next time," the agent's words were clear - the female guest was foolish, and Qin Shiyan could use her as a stepping stone.0

How could Qin Shiyan not want to step over Su Ci? But she wasn't stupid enough to forget about the Su family backing Su Ci.0

If she really dared to use Su Ci as a stepping stone, she might disappear from the entertainment industry the very next day.0

Even now, with her fans cursing Su Ci on the trending topic, she wasn't sure if the Su family would hold her responsible.0

Thinking about this, Qin Shiyan's secret satisfaction vanished. She considered whether to remove the trending topic, "Sister Fang, it's not right to bully newcomers like this. Should we remove this trending topic?"0

"Xiaoyan, are you exhausted to the point of confusion?" her agent said, "So many people dream of trending, and you want to remove it for a newcomer?"0

Qin Shiyan felt frustrated. She didn't really want to remove the trending topic - she wished everyone would hate Su Ci, but she had to consider the Su family's influence.0

Never mind, she thought, since she didn't buy the trending topic herself, it had nothing to do with her. The netizens cursing Su Ci were acting on their own, completely unrelated to her. Even if the Su family wanted to investigate, it wouldn't be her fault.0

Most importantly, she wanted more people to hate and curse Su Ci.0

However, not long after, while Qin Shiyan was still feeling smug, the trending topic about her was suddenly removed.0

Her heart skipped a beat, and then she watched as her agent answered a phone call.0

The agent's voice was loud: "What do you mean replace Qin Shiyan as the spokesperson?"0

Beside her, Qin Shiyan nearly bit her lip until it bled, her body turning cold.0

Just a moment ago, she was still holding onto hope, but now, the Su family's warning had arrived.0

Su Ci was blessed with such good fortune that it made others both envious and resentful.0

......0

Su Ci's birthday party was held at the Su family home, with invitations extended to close friends and business partners. Surprisingly, the Su family had also invited the Lu family.0

Everyone knew about the discord between the Su and Lu families - Su Shengguo and Lu Chen, the heads of both families, had even publicly mocked each other. Now everyone was wondering what this meant and whether the Lu family would accept the invitation.0

At the Lu residence.0

Wen Ya watched her husband leisurely changing clothes, frowning as she urged, "Can't you hurry up?"0

"Yaya, no need to rush. The main characters always appear last," Lu Chen said flamboyantly as he tried on a navy blue suit with subtle patterns.0

"Today's main character is the Su family's eldest daughter. What kind of main character are you?" Wen Ya rolled her eyes, "Wear the black suit - even our son dresses more maturely than you." This troublemaker would cause chaos every time he went out.0

Lu Chen gave his wife a wronged look, but wife's orders couldn't be defied, so he could only take out the black suit squeezed in the corner of the closet.0

"The Su family invited us this time purely because our son is their lifesaver, not because of you," Wen Ya's heart was completely focused on their son now. "You can't antagonize Su Shengguo at the banquet anymore. If you cause trouble and embarrass our son, you'll be sleeping in the study for three months."0

Previously, Lu Chen couldn't even bear sleeping in the study for a week. Hearing his wife mention three months, how could he dare to misbehave?0

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows and eagerly promised, "Don't worry, I guarantee that even if Su Shengguo insults me, I won't talk back, and if he hits me, I won't fight back."0

Only then was Wen Ya satisfied.0

Downstairs, Lu Zhe was already waiting for his parents. He wore a custom-made black suit that made him look even more handsome, his refined features gleaming under the lights.0

Wen Ya, supported by her husband, came downstairs. Seeing her son standing there with perfect posture, her eyes welled up - her son had grown into a man.0

The Su family home was especially lively today. Little Tiancai and Little Su Ning were both wearing small black suits, looking particularly dashing.0

Su's Mother instructed two servants to keep a close eye on the children.0

Little Tiancai and Little Su Ning gathered at Su Ci's door, secretly watching their sister. "Sister is beautiful."0

Su Ci was indeed beautiful today, wearing a nude pink evening gown adorned with starry crystal embellishments. With her snow-white skin, dark hair, red lips, and white teeth, she was beautiful enough to mesmerize anyone.0

Xie Yumin was led to Su Ci's room, still in a daze.0

She could never have imagined that Su Ci, the new guest on the cooking show, was actually the Su family's eldest daughter.0

Everyone in City B knew about the Su family's background - even the leading entertainment companies were just one of the Su family's many enterprises.0

She had heard that Qin Shiyan, another guest on the cooking show, had risen to fame so quickly because she was the Su family's adopted daughter, but those were just rumors.0

However, the Su Ci before her was real - she was genuinely the Su family's eldest daughter.0

"What's wrong? Are you stunned by my beauty?" Su Ci stood up and asked Xie Yumin with a smile.0

"You're the Su family's daughter," Xie Yumin tried to find her voice.0

Su Ci nodded, "Yes, I am."0

"But you said..." Xie Yumin felt like she had been fooled. Back then, Su Ci had seemed so pitiful when she spoke, which had softened her heart and made her come to Su Ci's birthday party. "You're the Su family's daughter - how could you not have friends?"0

With Su Ci's status, others would be fighting to be her friend. No wonder Qin Shiyan had been so polite to Su Ci during the recording, with a hint of caution in her tone.0

It also explained why the trending topic about Su Ci was removed so quickly, and why no more information about her could be found online.0

"Being the Su family's daughter and whether I have friends are two different things," Su Ci glanced at Xie Yumin's wrist - she had three hours left in her life value.0

Su Ci continued, "Friends made with ulterior motives can only be considered business relationships or partnerships, not true friends. I sincerely want to be friends with you, and I wasn't deliberately hiding my identity."0

Xie Yumin was surprised by her candor and apologized, "I'm sorry."0

"It's alright. I'm very happy you came," Su Ci winked at her, "I hope you'll enjoy yourself later."0

At that moment, Little Su Ning ran in on his short legs, putting his hands on both sides of his face and calling out to Su Ci in his baby voice, "Sister, brother-in-law is here!"0