Am I being simulated by their love affair.

Chapter 623 Can't Let Go, Can't Let Go
"Didn't you say you were going to abandon me? Why are you asking me now?"

Looking out the window at the noisy green lawn filled with the chirping of cicadas, Jun Matsue felt a mix of emotions.

Although he had already read the girl's brief reply, Kurusu Yosei's unyielding attitude was now clearly revealed on the phone.

"...That's not the same thing."

The boy's tone was very gentle; he didn't want to make Kurusu even more unhappy because of him at this moment.

Before he could finish speaking, Lai Qiyangshi pressed on with another question.

What do you mean by "not the same thing"?

"'Then I'll just have to give up being the number one fan'—isn't that what Matsueda said back then?"

"When you find out you have someone you want to be with more, you want to distance yourself from me and prove your feelings to them—isn't that how it is?"

She spoke one sentence after another, giving Matsueda Jun no chance to interrupt. He could only listen silently as the girl's resentment struck his heart again and again.

"I didn't expect Songzhi to send me a message."

"I thought that after you kicked me out of the house without looking back, you would clean up all the traces left by strangers in the apartment and happily start your new life~"

This was the first time Matsueda Jun had ever heard Kurusu speak to him in such a sarcastic tone.

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. He listened to the noisy cicadas chirping out of sync on both sides and took a deep breath.

“I know this may not be the best option, but it is the wisest decision for your dreams.”

"Then what is the best option?" the girl suddenly asked.

"..." The boy paused in his breathing.

He knew the answer perfectly well—if it was just between the two of them, the best choice was to give up Mochizuki and Tomatsu and be with the hottest idol.

But Jun Matsuoka would never make that choice.

"I will not let go of Tomatsu and Mochizuki. Even if Kurusu continues to invest his feelings in me, he will not get the answer you want."

"But whether we are together or not, I hope that Kurusu can successfully pursue his dreams and realize them."

"This is the only thing that has never changed in my heart."

The girl stubbornly refused to answer, and Jun Matsue sighed inwardly.

"Let's put all that aside for now; the current situation is the most important—I saw the trending topics this morning, how are you doing?"

Kurusu still didn't answer. The boy heard the sound of a phone being placed on the table, followed by the sound of slippers walking away. She opened the wardrobe.

"Since Songzhi wants to distance himself from me anyway, why should I bother talking to you about this?" the girl said nonchalantly.

"...I said before that I still want to be your friend and number one fan."

"Isn't there a condition that you have to keep your distance from me?" The girl's voice came closer again.

"Is there anything else you want to say? If not, I'm hanging up."

"Wait!" Jun Matsue hurriedly said.

"How can I possibly feel comfortable keeping my distance from you after something like this has happened to you?"

"I haven't let go of you yet, and I still care about you, okay?"

"At least tell me what's going on before hanging up, right?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. The boy glanced at his phone to make sure he hadn't hung up.

"Why didn't you just say that earlier? Why go through all that beating around the bush?"

Kuryu Yosei answered impatiently, but his tone was like a river in early spring, with surging water beneath a thin layer of ice.

Matsueda Jun breathed a sigh of relief. "So what exactly happened?"

“Didn’t you guess it?” the girl replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It’s about Eri. She was originally going to participate in ‘The Other Side of the Stage’ as well.”

"The company has already negotiated with the production team and arranged a script where Eri defeats professional actors in terms of acting skills, intending to let her take this opportunity to quickly boost her popularity."

"But the production team did a rehearsal the night before last. After it was over, I had to attend a promotional event for my photobook, so I left first. Eri went to the appreciation party hosted by Sakurai by herself."

"I don't know what happened, but when I got Eri's call and rushed over with my colleagues, there were hardly any people there, and she was already quite drunk."

Seduction? Jun Matsuoka pursed his lips.

It seems that Masahiko Sakurai is even more disgusting than the gossip newspapers describe him.

"That's why Eri didn't appear on the show yesterday; she went to the hospital for a checkup."

“But even if she’s physically fine, she won’t go on the show—Eri was clearly terrified; even if it was just an attempted crime, it was still scary.”

Yosei Kurusu's tone was cold and hard, completely different from when he was talking to the boy just now.

"So when that shameless Sakurai dared to apologize to the fans on behalf of Eri on the show, I rushed up to him."

"It's a pity I didn't smash his face," the girl said viciously.

"Have her test results come out yet?" Jun Matsue asked calmly.

GHB was detected.

GHB, also known as a date rape drug.

"Then once your company releases the results, public opinion will reverse, right?"

Matsueda Jun felt relieved. Although the girl's junior did deserve sympathy, he had limited energy and was only concerned about whether Kurusu would suffer in this incident.

However, Lai Qiyang hesitated for a while.

“Drug testing alone is not enough; there must also be evidence to prove that he did it.”

"...It seems there's no evidence for the time being?"

The girl accepted the boy's guess.

"That's troublesome." Jun Matsueda sighed. "Why did you rush up during the live stream..."

"Is it not allowed? Who told him to be so shameless!"

"I didn't say you played badly." The boy glanced at the rapidly increasing negative comments on the trending topics.

"I just think that if it were you, you would have handled it better and more cleverly."

"...Because I was in a bad mood, I wasn't planning on going on the show if the company hadn't persuaded me."

“That guy was acting so obnoxious on stage, I wouldn’t feel right unless I beat him up.”

Hearing the girl's calm tone on the phone, Jun Matsueda's mood became heavy again.

I've been in a bad mood these past few days, and the reason is obvious.

"Anyway, don't overthink it." Kurusu Yosei's tone returned to its stiffness. "The company's PR team will handle it for me."

"Don't pay attention to my news, and don't come looking for me. Didn't you say that distancing ourselves from you is good for both of us?"

"Enjoy your relationship in peace."

Before the boy could speak, the girl hung up the voice call. He sent several more messages, all of which showed as unread.

Jun Matsuoka put down his phone. The sunlight outside the window was dazzling, making his heart pound with unease.

Is Kurusu also in a terrible predicament?
The boy closed his eyes and finally let out a deep sigh.

How can I feel at ease if you're like this...?

(End of this chapter)