"No need." Yina Yin replied coolly. "I didn't save you for your gratitude."
After speaking, Yina Yin stood up, grabbed her clothes, and went to take a shower and change.
Cherry Miller smiled kindly and pointed to the sofa. "Sit down, breakfast will be delivered soon. After you eat, you can leave. Don't worry, no one's waiting outside to catch you."
The boy's eyes reddened, almost bursting into tears on the spot. "Thank you, really, thank you! If it weren't for you, I would've... I don't want to become that kind of person. If I did something like that, my family would kill me!"
"Mm." Cherry Miller was kind, but not one to meddle in others' affairs.
However, the boy seemed to treat Cherry Miller as a confidante and started venting, telling his story: "My name is Mason Ming, I'm twenty-three. I'm a contract artist at Blue Star Entertainment. I debuted through a talent show. At first, the company was good to me, gave me lots of resources, booked me two ads and a great variety show. I was starting to get noticed."
Cherry Miller nodded. Anyone invited to the Li Residence was usually a well-known young idol.
"I don't know when Mr. Quinn started paying attention to me, sending me flowers and inviting me to dinner. At first, I didn't think much of it. I thought my talent was being recognized, so I happily accepted. But then I realized something was off—Mr. Quinn even gave me a house and a car. Those aren't things you just accept lightly, and that's when I understood he wanted to keep... I really hate that sort of thing, so I refused and kept avoiding him. I never expected what happened yesterday."
"Anyone who can attend a banquet at the Li Residence is either rich or powerful. You two must be important people. If it hadn't been absolutely necessary, I wouldn't have begged you for help. I really don't want to go down that road—once you do, there's no turning back. I admit, I joined the entertainment industry because I needed money, but that doesn't mean I have to sell myself!"
"I've got hands, I've got talent—why can't I make money on my own?" Mason Ming started crying as he spoke, and Cherry Miller was at a loss for how to comfort him.
"Mm, did you become an artist because your family needed money?" Cherry Miller asked.
"Yes." Mason Ming wiped away his tears and said, "My dad was always sick and passed away two years ago. My mom worked herself to exhaustion and collapsed too. The doctor said she needs to rest and eat well, or she won't live long. I wasn't a great student, just graduated from a vocational college. I wanted a normal job, but it was too slow to make money! Last year, my mom suddenly fainted, and the hospital found a tumor in her stomach. I couldn't even afford the surgery."
"With no other choice, someone approached me and asked if I wanted to become a star, saying I'd make a lot of money. I really had no other way, so I agreed and entered a talent show last year." Mason Ming continued, "That show did help me earn some money, just in time to get my mom the surgery. Luckily, it was benign, otherwise..."
"Even though my mom had a successful surgery, she's even weaker now. I heard that in Eastshire Province, the Grant Family has an ancestral medicine that could help her recover. So I'm working hard, trying to save enough to take her to Eastshire for treatment. She's all I have left, I can't give up!"
"It's not that I never thought about taking shortcuts, but if I did, my mom would never forgive me!" Mason Ming said honestly. "My parents have always been proud people. They'd never let their child go down that path."
Cherry Miller understood.
He's a little celebrity with an inspirational backstory.
If everything he said was true, it really was touching.
Eastshire Province? Grant Family?
From what she knew, the Grant Family's medicine was anything but cheap!
And whether it's even available to outsiders is still a mystery.
Cherry Miller's mind raced—why did Mason Ming ask them for help instead of someone else?
Could he have known their identities in advance?
As the chief assistant, Cherry Miller wouldn't just believe someone based on a few words.
She always assumed the worst about people's motives.
If it was true, then Mason Ming was clever.
To escape Mr. Quinn, he needed a stronger backer.
Cherry Miller didn't mind a clever person—she just couldn't stand a fool.
Cherry Miller didn't respond to Mason Ming's story. She simply nodded and said, "It's not easy. Work hard and take good care of your mother. As for us, you don't need to repay us."
Mason Ming immediately panicked. "How could I not?"
"Of course you can." Yina Yin came out, drying her hair. "We don't need your gratitude. After breakfast, you can go home. I'll let Mr. Quinn know—he won't bother you anymore."
Mason Ming hesitated, then simply said, "Thank you."
Breakfast was served, and it was quite a feast.
Cherry Miller invited Yina Yin and Mason Ming to eat first, then went to freshen up herself.
Mason Ming seemed to have little appetite for breakfast.
When leaving the hotel, he looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. He just watched as Yina Yin and Cherry Miller drove away.
In the car, Yina Yin asked Cherry Miller, "You were so eager to help him, why are you so indifferent about his future?"
"Emergency help, not charity," Cherry Miller replied. "I can get him out of danger, but I'm not responsible for his future. He's not my family. No need to be a bleeding heart."
Yina Yin laughed out loud. "Cherry, you're so cold-blooded!"
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"Hmph, so do you want to go back? I bet he's still standing there." Cherry Miller retorted. "Aren't you afraid he'll latch onto you? You're the Yin Family's heiress! That title alone is enough to make half the young men in the city chase after you! I came out with you, so I have to think of Mr. Gu—I can't let you get snatched up by some handsome boy!"
Yina Yin laughed even harder. "You're going to kill me with laughter!"
"It's true," Cherry Miller said.
They thought their connection with Mason Ming would end there.
But unexpectedly, three days later, they met again.
At Miss Li's birthday banquet, the announcement was made that the Li Residence would be joining with the Tang Family. In just three days, the Tang Family and Li Residence set the date for the engagement.
Three days later, it was Miss Li and Derek Tang's engagement ceremony.
Naturally, Yina Yin was invited to attend.
Technically, Yina Yin could have skipped it.
But for some reason, she just wanted to see the excitement.
So Yina Yin dragged Cherry Miller along, wanting to see if the Tang Family and Li Residence were as entertaining as rumored.
Cherry Miller followed Yina Yin to Derek Tang and Miss Li's engagement ceremony, looking helpless.
The engagement venue was a rented estate, impressively decorated. Many guests had arrived—friends and relatives of the Li Residence and Tang Family.
Yina Yin kept a low profile, not revealing her identity, just saying she was a regular friend of Miss Li.
What a coincidence.
That day, Mason Ming was invited as a guest performer to the engagement ceremony.
Yina Yin and Cherry Miller arrived just as Mason Ming was singing on stage.
Mason Ming had a great voice, and his singing was beautiful. Many young people in the audience were his fans, cheering loudly for his performance.
"Hey, this kid's pretty good," Yina Yin joked.
"He looks older than you," Cherry Miller teased.
"He's too weak," Yina Yin disagreed, shaking her head. "Skinny arms and legs—I could lift him with one hand."
Yina Yin looked very unimpressed.
Cherry Miller smiled instantly. "How many celebrities are actually chubby? They all have to watch their weight! Six feet tall and under 120 pounds—that's normal. Guys like Mr. Gu and Mr. Yin, with solid builds, are rare."
"Tsk tsk." Yina Yin glanced once, then looked away, dragging Cherry Miller to a quiet corner to watch the show.
Cherry Miller had nothing to say about Yina Yin's leisurely attitude.
Well, maybe she was just bored at Sunset Manor and came out for some fun—even the Li Residence engagement seemed entertaining.
What else could she say?
Just go along with it!
Cherry Miller quietly dragged over a chair and sat next to Yina Yin, enjoying the show.
After Mason Ming finished singing, a group of girls came up to dance. It was decent, and the atmosphere was lively.
The ceremony hadn't officially started yet, so they were just warming up the crowd.
Yina Yin quickly got bored and decided to leave.
Just as they stepped out into the hallway, they saw Mason Ming holding a wine glass, splashing it in someone's face. "I'd rather die than do something like that!"
The person, soaked in wine, didn't get angry—instead, he licked the wine off his face, looking at Mason Ming with drunken eyes. "Mason Ming, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit. Mr. Quinn likes you—it's your luck! Do you really think being close to the Yin Family heiress will keep you safe forever?"
"Who's the Yin Family heiress?" Mason Ming frowned. "I don't know her."
"Heh, I don't care if you really don't know her or just pretend not to." The man continued, "If you really reject Mr. Quinn, you won't survive in the entertainment industry. Mr. Quinn truly likes you, that's why he's indulged you so many times. But if you make him mad, Mason Ming, have you thought about how much the penalty fee would be if you break your contract? Are you really giving up on your mom's treatment?"
Mason Ming's face changed dramatically. "Are you threatening me?"
"It's just the truth," the man said indifferently. "I'm only advising you for your own good."