The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 206

“Jian Fu, you…” Lin Zhen gradually loosened his struggling grip, staring at Jian Fu’s expression, uncertain whether it was a joke or something serious. Unexpectedly, his own heart began to race.

He knew what he was hoping for, but it felt like a forbidden door—one that, once opened, could lead to unpredictable consequences.

Yet, undeniably, that door was irresistibly tempting, making it nearly impossible for him to resist reaching out.

At that moment, a soft knock came at the room’s door.

“Zhenbao, are you asleep? It’s urgent.”

The manager’s voice sounded anxious. It was clear that even if Lin Zhen were asleep, he would still have to wake up.

Lin Zhen and Jian Fu exchanged a quick glance, tacitly pulling apart from each other at lightning speed, trying to conceal the emotions that had just been flowing between them.

Jian Fu hurriedly rummaged through the suitcase, pulling out a fresh shirt and pants, hastily putting them on, while Lin Zhen adjusted the neckline of his shirt, which had slipped below his shoulders, and smoothed down his tousled hair.

“Sister Mei, I’m coming,” Lin Zhen steadied his emotions, jogged to the door, and yanked it open.

The manager glanced at him and let out a heavy sigh. It was evident she was somewhat angry, though she suppressed her temper in front of Lin Zhen.

Lin Zhen could tell right away that something had gone wrong. He pursed his lips and asked, “What happened?”

The manager glanced at Jian Fu, hesitating as though unsure whether to speak in front of him. However, seeing Lin Zhen’s lack of concern about Jian Fu being present, she decided to continue regardless.

Frowning, the manager said, “Whitepony, the brand we’ve been working closely with, has been poached by Cheng Zerui at a lower price. From the looks of it, the brand intends to sign with Wajing. But here’s the catch—our collaboration doesn’t end until next month. This means they can start promoting Cheng Zerui as their spokesperson while still having you wear their clothes without a title. Meanwhile, Wajing has already paid off gossip accounts, spreading rumors that your commercial value is low and your popularity is fake. They’re claiming the brand made a wise choice in picking Cheng Zerui. They’ve even started smearing our company, saying we’re incapable and low-tier. This has caused unrest among your fanbase, and they’ve begun criticizing the company.”

She handed her phone to Lin Zhen. “My private messages are flooded. Take a look.”

“What’s going on, sis? Whitepony is signing Cheng Zerui? Isn’t Zhenbao still collaborating with them?”

“Sis, please explain. Why would Whitepony choose Cheng Zerui over Zhenbao? We’re clearly much stronger than that Cheng Zerui!”

“LOL, I’m from Cheng Zerui’s fandom and just here for a laugh. Fake popularity exposed, huh? Lin Zhen is such an embarrassment.”

“Haha, Cheng Zerui’s announcement is coming soon. Your idol doesn’t even have an ambassador title!”

“Does Wajing really have that many resources? It’s fine, we’ll keep working hard with Zhenbao. Tell him not to feel bad.”

“So, is Whitepony no longer working with him? Then why was he still wearing their clothes in the leaked photos?”

“People are upset about Cheng Zerui getting the title. Honestly, we were already frustrated about that voting controversy back then, and now it’s happening again.”

“Do something, sis. Everyone is really unsettled right now.”

…

The ripple in Lin Zhen’s heart instantly disappeared.

During the talent competition, he publicly clashed with Wajing Entertainment, fully aware it would make him a long-term target of their retaliation.

He had always known the entertainment industry was rife with dirty tactics, but the relentless underhanded suppression still left him disgusted.

Their collaboration with Whitepony had always been marked by sincerity.

This was Lin Zhen’s first experience working with a luxury brand, so he was willing to make some compromises to ensure a pleasant partnership. The promotional fee he accepted during this period was far from high, and he went out of his way to wear their clothes during public appearances.

But in the end, his honesty and genuine efforts were defeated by profits. Whitepony had easily stabbed him in the back, choosing his rival’s company instead.

Lin Zhen couldn’t tell how many benefits Cheng Zerui had offered to make the brand so unhesitatingly trample on him.

He was angry, but he also felt guilty.

After all, he had been the one to offend Wajing Entertainment, and their retaliation wasn’t unexpected. But his fans were innocent—they didn’t know the truth, and now, with this sudden turn of events, they would surely be ridiculed by others.

The manager sighed and said, “We definitely took a hit this time. Whitepony seems to be sitting back and enjoying the spoils, hoping you’ll lower your prices to compete with Cheng Zerui. For now, the priority is to calm your fans. I see they’re feeling pretty upset, especially with the trouble caused by Cheng Zerui’s fans tonight.”

Lin Zhen lowered his gaze and thought for a moment before looking up. “What’s the company’s PR plan?”

The manager replied, “We were caught off guard, so the first step is to stabilize the fans. We’ll say the deal with Whitepony was signed a while ago as a short-term collaboration that’s ending soon, and that better brand partnerships are on the horizon.”

Lin Zhen didn’t respond.

He wasn’t satisfied with this PR strategy, though he understood it was a typical solution most PR firms would propose based on past experience.

In truth, Lin Zhen was a soft-hearted and sensitive person. He wanted his fans to feel inspired and uplifted by supporting him, not trapped in negative emotions.

But the grudges he’d accumulated in the past had turned that hope into a distant dream.

Lin Zhen didn’t care much about titles, rankings, or the number of luxury brand endorsements he had. However, his young fans cared deeply—they took pride in these things.

If he could make those who loved him happy, he would do his best to achieve that and continue being their source of pride.

That was his purest intention. But tonight, his fans probably wouldn’t feel proud of him.

Lin Zhen asked calmly, “Is there still room to negotiate with the brand? Can we find out how much Wajing is offering in concessions?”

The manager replied tactfully, “Zhenbao, you do have a large fan base and significant traffic, but when you negotiate collaborations, you insist on not allowing brands to overcharge your fans. You even go out of your way to ask brands to provide discount codes and coupons. While this approach boosts sales, it may not meet the brands’ profit expectations. You know Wajing operates differently—they don’t care about overcharging. They’ll sell double-priced merchandise with cheap giveaways and call it a ‘gift from Cheng Zerui to his fans.’”

“You’ve put in a lot of effort, but most of your fans don’t know this. Many don’t even understand how much Whitepony’s products cost before the collaboration. You need to start thinking more about yourself. In this world, good intentions often go unappreciated.”

“Oh, I don’t care about others,” Lin Zhen replied coldly. “But this is who I am—don’t try to change me.”

His expression turned slightly frosty.

He knew the manager was offering well-intentioned advice. After all, this was how the market worked—everyone wanted to make money. Fans, while loving him, could spend recklessly, and brands aimed for skyrocketing profits. Striking a balance was no easy task.

But as long as he had options, he didn’t want to burden those who supported him.

This had been his nature since he was young, and entering the entertainment industry hadn’t changed that.

“Excuse me, let me just jump in for a second…” Jian Fu, who had been scrolling on his phone, finally found an opportunity to speak. Browsing through Whitepony’s background online, he couldn’t help but voice his confusion. “So, I looked into this Whitepony brand, and it’s just… okay, I guess? Is it really worth all this panic over losing the collaboration? Honestly, why don’t you work with Whalesea instead? I love that high-end brand, and I’ve bought a lot of their clothes. If Lin Zhen endorses them, I’d get all the new releases for free!”

The manager stared at Jian Fu with a complicated expression. This naive young master had left her both exasperated and amused.

“You think we don’t want to partner with Whalesea, Young Boss? Whalesea has a one-year evaluation period for influencers, and the highest title they’ll offer is a brand ambassador. More importantly, our company doesn’t have any connections with Whalesea. Right now, let alone Whalesea, we don’t even have time to approach other halfway-decent brands—the golden PR window is just 24 hours.”

Jian Fu’s eyes lit up, and he cheerfully said, “But I do have connections with Whalesea!”

The manager froze in place.

Lin Zhen turned to Jian Fu with a frown. “Wasn’t District One supposed to focus on the tech industry?”

Jian Fu shrugged. “District One doesn’t deal with brands, true, but Whalesea’s Asia-Pacific president is my Uncle Cen’s college roommate. Haven’t you noticed my brother wears a lot of their stuff?”

Lin Zhen: “…I’ve never really paid attention to what Cen Xiao wears.”

Jian Fu waved dismissively, speaking with casual ease. “Doesn’t matter. Considering I’ve humiliated myself performing mental abacus tricks for him at every family gathering, he’d surely do me this favor.”

The manager grabbed Jian Fu’s hand tightly, her face lighting up with excitement. “Really, Young Boss? You can get in touch with Whalesea? Why didn’t you say so earlier? It’s so hard for us to negotiate with luxury brands, and Zhenbao always needs to borrow outfits for events.”

Jian Fu scratched his head awkwardly, sneaking a glance at Lin Zhen. “I… don’t really understand all this stuff. If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have waited until now…”

Lin Zhen sighed. “I didn’t want to bring it up. I just felt…”

In truth, he didn’t want to trouble his friends. He knew that Li Rong, Cen Xiao, and Jian Fu all had strong connections and resources and would be willing to help him without hesitation.

But he couldn’t get past the psychological hurdle. He wanted their relationships to remain pure, untainted by any exchange of benefits.

“Overthinking, you fool.” Jian Fu, sharp as ever, immediately picked up on Lin Zhen’s sensitive and thoughtful mindset. “After that whole panda sanctuary ordeal, you should’ve learned by now: kind-hearted people don’t need to carry guilt or self-blame. If things have reached a breaking point, use every resource at your disposal to fight back. If you’ve got an edge but refuse to use it, are you planning to become a saint or ascend to immortality?”

With that, Jian Fu grabbed his phone and headed to the balcony, cheerfully calling his “good uncle” to cozy up to him.

Lin Zhen stood silently in the room, watching Jian Fu’s figure from behind. A warm feeling stirred in his chest.

Although he hadn’t sought out Jian Fu because of his connections, in this moment, he couldn’t help but feel grateful. Having Jian Fu by his side was truly comforting.

1:00 a.m.

Out of nowhere, Whalesea’s official, typically aloof Weibo account tagged Lin Zhen in a post:

[@LinZhen, we’ve been waiting for you forever! Come over and hang out~]

The fan base, affectionately called “Hazelnut Pastry,” had been anxiously staying up late, and the moment they saw the verified post, it felt as though a miraculous windfall had dropped into their laps.

“OMG OMG! Is Whalesea saying what I think it’s saying?”

“So Whitepony wasn’t signed because Whalesea’s in the picture now?”

“AAAAAA I’m so excited! Who even cares about Whitepony when we’ve got Whalesea? Zhenbao, you’re amazing!”

“Oh my gosh, I always heard Whalesea was super highbrow and untouchable, but turns out they’re warm and fuzzy for my boy!”

“This is so satisfying! I’ve loved Whalesea for so long—this is a dream come true!”

“Hey, Furui, come take a look! Congrats on your boy getting Whitepony, but we’ve got Whalesea now. Everyone gets a bright future~”

…

With Whalesea extending an olive branch, the marketing accounts that had been comparing Lin Zhen unfavorably to Cheng Zerui quickly and quietly deleted their posts. Even Whitepony discreetly began curating its comment sections, opting to avoid further public scrutiny.

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