Chapter 46: Tear Them Apart!

Whether you’re a king or not, if you touch the legal line, there’s only one outcome—banishment.

The media that first got wind of the news was from a big outlet with over 20 million followers on Weibo. They had verified the facts through their own channels before posting the news.

The media felt ready to tackle this story and, at 8 am the next morning, released this message:

#Certain Actress Lu Hui Involved in Prostitution Scandal#

Just this topic alone was enough to attract attention; everyone would click on it out of curiosity.

@Real News: “Exclusive report from Real Media. According to netizens, Lu Hui was reported for illegal activities early this morning, and the police are currently investigating.”

It had been a couple of years since any actress in the entertainment industry had been involved in such a scandal, and this news hit like a thunderbolt.

Both Lu Hui and Lin Tong’s phones were bombarded with calls. She was in a deep sleep, her phone on silent, and by the time the calls reached her, the phone had been turned off. She slept soundly with the quilt until noon.

Lin Tong tried calling her but couldn’t get through, growing increasingly frantic.

The media kept calling the company, one after another. Lin Tong responded each time with, “We’ll issue a statement later.”

In the entertainment world, not denying the rumors was almost the same as admitting to them. Lin Tong trusted Lu Hui’s character, but no matter what, he didn’t think she would…

However, trusting her didn’t matter. Until he reached Lu Hui, he couldn’t say anything definitively. Scandals were everywhere, so he had to be cautious.

Her phone being turned off was a serious issue.

For a moment, Lin Tong felt truly panicked. He asked his newly hired assistant, “If she’s really arrested, will her phone be confiscated?”

The assistant nodded. “It should be. They take the evidence first.”

Lin Tong’s face went pale. “We’re done for.”

The assistant, still new to the job and reluctant to lose it, tried to comfort him. “Lu Jie probably won’t get into trouble. She hasn’t worked for the past couple of days. Maybe she’s still asleep?”

Lin Tong, still worried, decided, “I’ll go to her house and find her.”

After saying that, he hurriedly threw on his coat and rushed out.

Lu Hui had been caught in a scandal like this, and getting out of it was going to be hard. There were people who secretly enjoyed seeing her fall, especially those in her position, similar in fame, sipping coffee and watching her misfortune, as if waiting for her to fail.

If this rumor was true, then Lu Hui was just the unlucky one, getting caught in a police case. If the rumors were proven true, she would not only be banned but also detained.

Lu Hui woke up naturally after a good sleep, stretched lazily, yawned, and squinted at the bright sunlight outside the glass window.

She sat on the couch, lost in thought for a few minutes, clearing her mind. Just as she was about to lie back down and nap for a little longer, Cen Yueze, still looking like he hadn’t woken up, came into her view.

He wore a loose black bathrobe, the belt on it so loose that it seemed like it might come undone at any moment. He looked at her, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “Still not gone?”

Lu Hui awkwardly shifted her gaze. “I overslept.”

She got up, rummaged under the pillow for her phone, pressed it a couple of times, but realized it was off.

She pulled out a charger from her bag. “I’ll charge it and leave.”

Cen Yueze lazily responded with an “Mhm.” His expression looked like he was still in a daze, and as he walked toward the kitchen in his slippers, he asked, “Do you want anything to eat?”

Lu Hui was surprised, “You… can cook?”

Chen Yueze raised an eyelid and replied indifferently, “No, just asking.”

“Then what is this?”

“There’s milk and bread in the fridge.”

Lu Hui didn’t bother to be polite with him, “I want some milk.”

Chen Yueze slightly tilted his head, looking like a graceful swan, his aloof, ethereal vibe naturally emanating from him, “Don’t want any bread or sandwiches?”

Lu Hui shook her head, “I’m not too fond of Western food.”

Chen Yueze responded with a few indifferent “oh” sounds. His morning grumpiness still lingered as he muttered, “Picky, such a diva.”

Lu Hui didn’t want to argue with him. After taking a sip of water, she curiously asked, “How come you woke up so early today?”

Chen Yueze’s dark eyes locked onto hers, like hooks, “Didn’t sleep well.” He opened the fridge and leisurely poured two cups of milk, placing them on the table, “Your milk.”

Lu Hui walked over and touched the cup with her fingers, “Is there a microwave?”

Chen Yueze muttered that she was being too fussy, but his hands acted honestly. He took the cup from her hand and put it in the microwave for a minute.

For some reason, Lu Hui felt awkward being treated so politely by him. She felt uneasy and embarrassed. She pursed her lips, “Do you have rice? I can make you some porridge.”

“I don’t know, maybe there’s some in the fridge.”

“I’ll check.”

Indeed, Lu Hui found some unopened rice in the fridge and used the limited ingredients to make a pot of vegetable and lean meat porridge.

Chen Yueze tasted it and, although he didn’t say anything, it seemed he liked it.

He finished a bowl, then asked for another. After eating and drinking enough, Chen Yueze finally didn’t have that exhausted expression on his face. “If you can’t make it in the entertainment industry, you can come work as my housekeeper.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll try my best to make it in the industry.”

Chen Yueze lazily leaned back in his chair, his posture relaxed, “You don’t want to?”

“Being a housekeeper in your home really doesn’t have much of a future.”

“You think being in the entertainment industry does?” Chen Yueze looked like a lazy cat, stretching under the warm sunlight, “You can’t take the truth?”

It really hit her where it hurts.

Lu Hui forced a smile, “Yes, I don’t like hearing the truth! I’m not ambitious! I don’t seek change! I just want to be a useless couch potato, how about that?”

Chen Yueze thought she was a bit angry, but he felt he had been very polite with her. He smiled lightly, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Lu Hui said, “My phone is fully charged.”

She unplugged the charger, turned it on, and was shocked by the number of missed calls and unread messages.

Lin Tong: 【Where are you?!】
Lin Tong: 【You didn’t really get arrested by the police, did you?!】
Lin Tong: 【Call me back, fast.】

What the hell, what’s going on? How did everything change overnight?

Lu Hui quickly called Lin Tong back. Hearing her voice, Lin Tong felt like he could breathe again, “Where are you now?!”

“At a friend’s house.”

“You should check the news, I nearly had a heart attack.” Lin Tong had just been turned away at Sheng’s house and was calling her from his car. He continued, “Honestly, I’m really worried.”

Lu Hui couldn’t do much about it, but maybe she really did go to hire someone! She had been attracting trouble with one man after another, and there were so many messes left unresolved.

Lu Hui quickly glanced at the news section, “What the hell, how do they know about this?!”

Lin Tong: “??”

Lu Hui briefly explained what had happened last night to Lin Tong, reassuring him that the police had already cleared her name last night. After explaining for a while, she asked, “So how come the media knows so much?”

Lin Tong was confused, “Someone’s messing with you, haven’t you offended anyone recently? Are they trying to cut off your path and seal you off in the entertainment industry?”

Morally speaking, getting scolded was one thing, but a legal scandal was a whole different level—it’s impossible to recover from it.

Lu Hui thought seriously for a moment, “I’ve offended too many people.”

Lin Tong: “…”

Lin Tong: “Anyone in particular who really hates you?”

Lu Hui didn’t even hesitate, “There are more.”

Lin Tong was speechless, “If you’re fine, I’ll clear things up with the media.”

Lu Hui told him to wait, “This rumor can be easily disproved by asking the police.”

“The media still needs to make a living.” Lin Tong explained, “The more traffic, the more money—comments and likes on Weibo equal money. And our company has some… questionable relations with that media outlet. Cultural people tend to hold grudges, and when they catch something sensitive, they’ll make sure to exploit it.”

Lu Hui looked at all the insults on the trending topics and realized that she couldn’t just let it slide or ignore it, “Can I sue them?”

“Of course you can.”

“Then I won’t hold back.”

It was the weekend, and traffic was high. More people meant more insults on trending topics, and she couldn’t pick out any flaws in what was being said. Other competitors in the industry probably saw her as a big threat. Out of personal interest, rival fans wanted to see her fail.

“Ban her, ban her, ban her! Stop airing her shows!”

“What is the broadcasting authority doing? Are they going to let someone like her be a role model for young people?”

“Don’t let people like Lu Hui, with such bad morals and breaking the law, appear on screen.”

“Haha, she’ll be gone in three days. Yesterday, her fans were so proud, posting about her ratings everywhere. Today, she’s already become a scandalous figure—such a dramatic turn of events in just one night. I’m loving it.”

As the scandal reached its peak, the media outlet finally came forward to clarify, 【Regarding the post by @Qiushi News, it’s purely fabricated. Our company reserves the right to sue.】

Qiushi News wasn’t backing down either, responding directly, 【As a media outlet, we will never spread rumors. We welcome the public to verify with the police.】

The comment added below reads:
“It has been three hours since our news was released. Has anyone contacted Lu Hui directly? Rather than worrying about how to clear her name, her management should focus on nurturing more virtuous artists.”

They had seen the police records firsthand, and there was no mistake.

It was a battle between the two sides, neither giving in, and the situation was still in favor of the “Pragmatic News.”

“Ha-ha-ha, you guys found a blind spot. Lu Hui has gone off the grid!”

“How is she supposed to answer calls now, ha-ha-ha.”

“Grabbing the bamboo shoot! I advise the management and fans to accept reality.”

Lu Hui wasn’t afraid of them verifying things at the police station. If nothing happened, nothing happened. Lin Tong was so angry he wanted to rip apart the media inciting the drama, “Cui Hui, tear their mouths apart for me!”

Shouting loudly to tear apart those wicked women.

Lu Hui felt helpless, knowing anything she wrote would be futile. She made sure all the evidence was saved with her lawyer, then posted a lawyer’s letter online, with a message saying:
“To @Pragmatic News, here I am at the station sending you a lawyer’s letter. Keep it, no thanks needed.”

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