'Is there anyone left who can defend her?'

'That's it, it's over. Let's tear up the posters and burn them.'

'So Yoko is just the type of girl who dumps her boyfriend for a new love. Hahaha. Truly unbelievable.'

'Her face always looks so innocent, but she's this kind of person.'

'Faye wasted her time on her.'

'Poor Faye. Her journey to stardom is almost over.'

'Queerbaiting, and now turns out to be a gold digger.'

'Exactly, upstairs neighbor. Heard Yoko's ex-boyfriend is a famous musician. Oh my god, she probably dug for gold and then dumped him.'

'How disgusting.'

'She's probably digging for Faye's money now.'

'Faye is so good to her girlfriends. Poor Faye.'

'Faye, leave that girl...'

'Everyone calms down, Yoko isn't that kind of person.'

'So blind. She's an actress, she's acting, don't you understand?'

'Leave her, she's not worthy of Faye at all.'

'Nothing left to say. So disappointed.'

'Only believe in Faye now. Please open your eyes quickly, Faye.'

'Faye has dated guys before, why is everyone only scolding Yoko?'

'Upstairs neighbor, are you blind? It's a lie, a lie. She should have just said she was straight from the beginning, no one would have said anything. Hiding it. And now this is what comes out.'

'Truly, how can a thin curtain hide the eyes of a saint?'

'The issue isn't about what her past was like. The issue is about trust, who can trust her after lying?'

'Sigh, what a waste. Followed Yoko for so long.'

'What a waste for Faye.'

'Praying Faye gets away from that girl soon.'

...

Faye was confiding in Nam when she suddenly saw the recording, and everything started to change. The situation was leaning towards further escalation. Although many voices still tried to defend and believe in Yoko, this group was weakening and being heavily criticized. Reading a series of negative messages like that, Faye frowned and immediately ran into the bedroom to check on Yoko.

Upon entering the room, she saw Yoko lying on the bed, holding her phone, her eyes filled with confusion, tears streaming down the phone screen.

As soon as Yoko saw Faye, she looked at her with lost, bewildered, and panicked eyes.

"I... I'm not worthy of you," Yoko said, crying.

Seeing her like that, Faye felt a sharp pain in her heart and rushed to hug her.

"I'm here, I'm here," Faye comforted her, stroking her head.

Then Yoko started crying even more, she cried out loud, crying her heart out.

"My past... I can't change it... Why are they judging me for what happened in the past?..."

Did I do something wrong? I didn't. I didn't do anything wrong at all.

Why are they saying such things about me, why are they treating me like this?

Yoko thought and sobbed, tears welling up again. She couldn't speak because of the lump in her throat. Yoko just cried and cried, hugging Faye's neck and sobbing uncontrollably.

Feeling her neck cool from Yoko's tears, Faye felt heartbroken to the point of madness. She hugged her tightly, mechanically comforting her. Faye tried to hide the tsunami of emotions rising within her.

"Let's go public, okay? Let's make it public that you and I are really dating," Faye said, caressing her face.

Given the situation, Faye understood that this might not be the most appropriate solution. But it was the best way to divert all public attention in another direction, so they wouldn't worry too much about Yoko anymore. After all, these people really just needed a topic to talk and discuss.

Yoko was still crying, sniffling and hiccuping uncontrollably, her eyes swollen from tears. After a long while, Yoko sadly shook her head.

"No way. They'll say you're fan-servicing, deliberately saying that to save 'The Journey' and me."

"So what if they do? It's true that we're dating. I don't care about those things," Faye said, gently kissing her lips.

Yoko caressed Faye's eyes.

"But I care. My past... it can't affect you," Yoko said, even though she was sobbing and hiccuping, she still analyzed the situation very calmly.

Even if Faye and she went public now, Yoko's past wouldn't be completely resolved.

After speaking, Yoko continued to hug Faye's neck. She wasn't crying anymore, but she was still sniffling and sobbing.

This needs to be dealt with, this absolutely needs to be dealt with. The troublemaker must pay the price. Faye hugged her, thinking to herself.

A while later, Yoko cried so much that she became exhausted and fell asleep limply in Faye's arms. It was her birthday, yet it was a day of such heartbreak for her.

Seeing that Yoko was asleep, Faye tucked her into bed and gently took her phone to go outside.

...

That night, the entire Ninestar company had lights on all night to respond to and handle this media crisis. After Ninestar posted a clarification, they thought things had calmed down, but no one expected that near midnight, someone would release a recording of a conversation between Yoko and her ex-boyfriend.

Although Faye had guaranteed that the recording had been deliberately edited, this sinister move by their opponent truly caught everyone off guard. They didn't even know how to steer the story in a suitable direction.

All night, the PR team stayed awake to control the online troll accounts, but it was no use. Everyone was exhausted with dark circles under their eyes.

Even Wanwan slept at the company all night. At just 7 AM, she went into the PR room to assess the situation.

On the large screens in front of them, the most serious posts and the most discussed topics since the drama erupted were displayed. As if watching stocks, everyone was looking at those screens, hoping for any positive change, but it was no use, things were getting worse and more people were finding out.

Wanwan sat in the main chair, rubbing her temples.

"This time it's really hard to solve. I've tried reporting and even contacted hackers to delete the posts, but we can't keep up with the speed of sharing on social media."

"Our fake accounts are very active. But it's really hard to quell this situation."

"It's affecting both 'The Journey' and Faye greatly. Their media index has dropped overnight."

"The major online news sites have also contacted us. They will run articles about this scandal today. If Ninestar and Galaxy don't handle it, it will reach national news."

"..." Wanwan listened to Minhan and her subordinates report on the ongoing situation, and her head was throbbing. There was no good news.

The whole group sat watching the screens like that, everyone shaking their heads in dismay. This time it was over. The online community was following this issue very closely. The waves of discussion were all negative.

"Wait, where did that post from just now go?" A PR specialist exclaimed. The post on the super topic she had been following since yesterday, with tens of thousands of shares, had suddenly disappeared.

Wanwan raised her eyebrows and looked at the screen.

"This post is gone too!" Another employee shouted.

"Yoko's old photos are gradually being deleted. What's going on?!" Minhan also stood up abruptly, looking at the screens.

"That recording is gone too, oh my god."

"And this too, a series of accounts that have been making very harsh comments about Yoko since yesterday have been silenced."

"Wan, what's happening?"

Wan stared intently at the screen. Her only thought at this moment was that some powerful force had intervened.

"Open Yoko's profile," she ordered.

An employee immediately opened Yoko's public profile on a large screen. Instantly, all the Ninestar employees standing there gasped in disbelief.

An unprecedented scene began to unfold.

"Record the screen!" Wan shouted.

Yoko's profile on the national monitoring website, which had previously been blank pages, now began to display content, line by line. Along with it, the Lertprasert family genealogy also began to appear in full. Yoko hadn't belonged to any branch of this family, but now her name began to appear in the position of the legitimate heirs.

"Father is the Chief Justice of the Supreme People's Court of the nation. One of the four most powerful justices and on the list of successors to the Chief Justice. Mother works in the Prime Minister's Office, closely assisting His Majesty the King. Elder sister is a lawyer. Grandfather and Grandmother, when alive, were both generals in the army and had contributed to the revolution..."

"Aunt is the Director-General of the Ministry of Information and Communications. The other aunt works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, having been an Ambassador Plenipotentiary to Europe. Uncle works in the Ministry of Public Security. Aunt is a professor and Vice-Rector of a university. Uncle-in-law works in the army's cybersecurity department..."

"Oh my god..."

"The Lertprasert family is one of the ten great families of the nation, having supported His Majesty the King through many generations. Yoko Apasra Lertprasert is the youngest daughter of Chief Justice Lertprasert, the head of the family. The family estate is located in a high-ranking military zone exclusively for those who have contributed to the country..."

"Wan... what is this?"

Wan frowned. Yoko had briefly mentioned her family last night. She just hadn't expected her family to be this powerful.

"Apart from their illustrious history and background, the Lertprasert family is also a loyal subject trusted by His Majesty the King. Even in business, the family holds shares in many of the nation's largest financial groups..."

"Third generation of the Red, third generation of the Rich, third generation of Officials..."

"The representative of the Lertprasert Family issues an official lawyer's statement. Proceeding with legal action against acts of insult and slander against Miss Yoko Apasra Lertprasert. All personal accounts involved in the above matter are subject to prosecution by the family's representative law office..."

"At the same time, the lawyer representing the Family proceeds to announce the details related to the lawsuit that occurred in... year 2022. Accordingly, the defendant XXX assaulted Miss Apasra, causing mental harm and physical impact on Miss Apasra for a long period. Now, because XXX violated the previous settlement agreement by releasing prohibited images that seriously affected Miss Apasra, the lawyer representing the Lertprasert Family continues to initiate legal proceedings in accordance with the law..."

All the employees of Ninestar stared at each other in stunned silence.

Not only Ninestar, but the entire national and international online community was in an uproar.

'Oh my god, the Princess has returned to the Palace.'

'I don't know what to say right now. How could a noble young lady born into such a family have always hidden her identity...?'

'This is terrifying, the biggest collective face-slap in the last ten years.'

'My efforts to defend Yoko for the past few days weren't wasted. Hahaha. So satisfying, so satisfying.'

'From now on, let's call Yoko Princess Yoko.'

'Has anyone read the details of the Lertprasert family's lawsuit announcement? Oh my god. That crazy musician XXX actually assaulted someone's princess.'

'That guy probably didn't know Yoko's real identity.'

'So that guy assaulted the princess, got sued, was so scared he begged for forgiveness. The princess let him off on the condition that he shut his mouth and disappeared. But yesterday that guy reappeared and released a series of old photos...'

'That guy is definitely dead meat this time.'

'Someone said that guy XXX was with Yo for three years and didn't know who the princess was, so he always criticized and gaslighted her, making Yoko very insecure for a long time. Finally, Yoko couldn't take it anymore and broke up, then that guy assaulted her. That bastard, a golden branch jade leaf like her and you didn't cherish her...'

'That guy is really going to prison this lifetime. Whether he's crazy or not, knowing her family background and still daring to dig up this old case.'

'Oh my god, my Yoko is a noble lady from a prestigious family. This is a powerful clan, a powerful clan!!!!'

'Doesn't anyone have any comments about all the posts and images related to this case being deleted?'

'You're crazy, what comments are there to make? Whoever said nonsense yesterday, prepare to kneel at the princess's feet and beg for forgiveness.'

'My friends' accounts have all been deleted. They went too far with their words yesterday.'

'Princess Yoko, I apologize for what I said.'

'Sorry.'

'I'm deleting my old account. So humiliating, I never thought there would be a noble who would hide their identity to such an extent.'

'Noble? More like royalty! Oh my god.'

'Ninestar invested in the right person.'

'Ninestar and Galaxy struck gold.'

'Yoko's aunt is the Director-General of the Ministry of Culture and Information. Congratulations Ninestar, you've got a big tree to lean on.'

'Third generation of the Rich, third generation of the Military, third generation of Officials, first time seeing it in my life.'

'Oh, my idol. So humble, unbelievably humble.'

'The Lertprasert family owns 20 hectares of land on the outskirts of the city along with countless large and valuable properties across the country. Moreover, they hold shares in many large corporations... Yesterday, who said Yoko was digging for Faye's money? Are you okay or on oxygen?' This person posted a detailed report on the major families of the nation, in which the Lertprasert family ranked 7th.

'Are you kidding me? Shouldn't we have guessed when we saw the surname Lertprasert?'

'How could we guess? The genealogy of that powerful family has always obscured Yoko and her sister's names until yesterday when it finally became clear.'

'That family actually lets their children have so much freedom.'

'Does anyone still have any opinions about whether Yoko is straight or not?'

'You lowly servant, shut your mouth. It's not your place to comment on the princess.'

'Straight, gay, lesbian, LGBT, whatever. I don't care. Someone like that hiding their identity to act in movies, nothing else matters anymore.'

'Has everyone rewatched the clip of Faye running to save Yoko yesterday? Haha. My OTP is a perfect match.'

'Such a terrifying family background. I wonder how Faye feels about marrying into such a powerful clan.'

'Who said yesterday that the princess wasn't worthy of Faye? Kneel down!'

'Kneel down now!!!'

'Terrifying, absolutely terrifying.'

'Whoever posted nonsense in the last few hours, touching the Lertprasert family's princess, just recite your prayers and wait to be taken away.'

...

When Yoko woke up, Faye wasn't beside her. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. For some reason, today felt cleaner and better than yesterday.

Remembering that last night's issue wasn't fully resolved, a shadow of sadness crossed Yoko's eyes. She stretched, reached for her phone, took a deep breath to gather courage, and started looking at the hot news about her.

But everything was deleted.

Yoko sat up abruptly, her eyes wide.

It took her a while to read everything and absorb it all. When she saw her profile on the national channel, which had been blank, now filled with information, Yoko sighed. What had to come, had come. Her family had taken action.

Yoko went to the bathroom to wash her face and then returned to bed. Sitting on the bed, Yoko took a deep breath, picked up her phone, and dialed a number.

"Hello Dad..." Yoko's eyes welled up.

Every time, she was the one causing trouble, and her family helped her out.

"You're awake? Have you had breakfast?" Mister Lertprasert replied lovingly to his beloved daughter.

Hearing that, Yoko sniffled.

"What are you crying about? Dad will always support you," Yoko's father said sternly as soon as he heard her sob.

"Thank you, Mom and Dad, thank you, Sister." She really didn't know what to say at this moment. Her sister Neko must have found out and told their father.

Yoko's father sighed, "The person you should thank is Faye. If she hadn't told me, I don't know how long you would have kept it from me. Delaying it any longer would have been really difficult to handle..."

Was it her?

Yoko's eyes widened in surprise. But she still obediently spoke to her father.

"Yoko, you're grown up now. You should rely on your family whenever you need to. After all, the reason Dad works so hard is for my children," Yoko's father advised.

In the past, Yoko had always been independent, even harboring negative thoughts that she was a burden to her family or that without her family, she was nothing. But that was when she was young. Now, she had gradually come to understand. Her family had given her such a good start, it wasn't for her to reject it.

Actually, yesterday after crying her heart out, Yoko had been very hesitant about whether to call her family. But thinking it was late, she decided against it. She hadn't expected Faye to be so worried and handle things faster than she did.

"Yes, Dad," Yoko said, her eyes stinging.

"It was Dad who made Faye promise that if anything happened to you, she had to tell me immediately. So don't get angry at that good girl," Yoko's father instructed.

Hearing that, Yoko smiled, "I know. I love you and Mom so much," Yoko blinked.

Ending the call with her father, Yoko immediately went outside to find Faye. She saw Yoko walked closer and hugged Faye from behind.

Faye also took her hand, then turned around and embraced her.

"I... called your dad," Faye said, her eyes slightly lowered, as if she felt she shouldn't have done it.

"I know."

"You must be very angry, I didn't tell you beforehand..."

Yoko looked into Faye's eyes, smiled, and tiptoed to kiss her lips.

"It's okay, Faye. I understand everything."

My family wants to protect me.

You also want to protect me.

That's enough.

...

A few days before, at Yoko's house, her father called Faye into the room for a private conversation.

"I have something important I need your help with..."

Hearing that, Faye sat up straight, "Yes, Uncle, please tell me."

Mr. Lertprasert looked directly at Faye and said slowly, "Yoko is still young, there will be times when she doesn't understand things, even being stubborn. I can understand that it's because she has a strong personality and wants to prove herself, so she doesn't want to accept help from her family. This makes me a little sad..."

Faye sighed. This was an issue that only age could resolve. When young, everyone wants to prove themselves; only when they are mature enough and have gone through many hardships do they realize that having a family is the best thing.

It's not about completely depending on the family's support or clinging to the family. It's that when needed, having parents who care for you is the best thing. Besides, if fate has arranged for you to be born at the finish line, you should be grateful, not reject it.

"My every effort is to give my daughter the best. But if she doesn't need it, it's a real waste. This is all the blood and sweat of our ancestors in the family, building a foundation for their descendants..." Mr Lertprasert confided gently, "So Faye, I want to ask you, there will be times when Yoko doesn't fully understand everything. I hope that when that time comes, you will make decisions for her. Please tell me everything..."

"Pardon?" Faye's eyes widened.

"If anything happens to Yoko, please tell me immediately. After investigating you very carefully, please forgive me, I trust your character. Sometimes young people encounter big problems and think that telling your family is bothering them. But in fact, with my position, handling those things is very easy and doesn't take much effort. If it's something illegal, I certainly won't get involved. But if someone is looking for trouble with my family, I don't want to be the last to know."

Faye sighed, "Yes... I promise you, Uncle."

"Hmm, you are much more mature than she is. So I believe you also want to protect her. This is my phone number. Don't let anyone bully my daughter, Faye."

Faye nodded in assurance again.

In the end, this was all the heart of a parent, always wanting the best for their child.