Chapter 85

After bidding farewell to his family, Song Haowen rode his bike alone on the road, contemplating when to visit the music studio the next day to understand the latest situation.

Suddenly, a young girl across the street shouted his name. Turning his head, he saw that it was Gu Ziwei, a female journalist from “Beijing Evening News.” He smiled at her as a greeting, intending to continue on his way, but Gu Ziwei stopped him.

“It’s so late, where are you rushing to? Going to meet your girlfriend?” she teased.

“Only you have that kind of leisure. It’s so late; why aren’t you going home? Is Gu the Great Journalist busy going on a date?” Song Haowen retorted.

Gu Ziwei swiftly ran across the street like the wind, her ponytailed hair playfully swinging from side to side behind her small head. “Hey, big star, you’re really something. You’ve become popular again recently. I want to interview you, okay?”

“No!” Song Haowen thought about the last time she wrote that report, and the music studio closed immediately afterward.

 While he couldn’t entirely blame her, she certainly didn’t bring good luck to the studio. “Thanks for making me look so good last time, but I don’t need any more coverage.”

Gu Ziwei’s big watery eyes blinked, puzzled. “Now you’re not just a singer but also a martial arts star. Even if I don’t report, others will. I’m just a bit familiar with you because I’ve interviewed you before and wanted to get a head start on reporting. It’s only beneficial for you, no harm.”

Song Haowen chuckled coldly, didn’t reply immediately, and after a moment, seeing her staring at him eagerly, he couldn’t bear it and changed the subject. “Have you been to our music studio later?”

“No. Actually, I’m quite busy too. The journalist job is tough, with a lot of interview tasks. You see, you’re ready to go back to sleep now, but my work for today hasn’t even started. Tonight, I have to report on a special operation at the police station, and I don’t know when it will end.”

“Oh, is that so? You’re working too hard.” Song Haowen suddenly showed respect.

“Not hard, it’s serving the people.” Gu Ziwei laughed heartily. “We’re both busy in our own ways. You have classes during the day, perform in the  theater at night, and sometimes go out for competitions. That’s the real hard work. Hey, big star, I really want to interview you.”

“Can you stop calling me ‘big star’? It gives me goosebumps. No need to be polite; you can just call me by my name. By the way, don’t you still have a task? You should go attend to it. It’s late, and I need to go back too.” Song Haowen tried to shake her off.

Seeming not to understand his intention, Gu Ziwei looked at her watch. “No problem. We still have an hour until the appointed time. I was just thinking it’s boring to be alone. How about you accompany me for a while, and we can also talk about the martial arts competition?”

“Wow! Senior reporter, you’re really dedicated, huh?” Song Haowen exclaimed in admiration. “With your hard work, it’s a shame not to be the editor-in-chief.”

“Don’t joke with me. Is it really that easy to be the editor-in-chief? It must come with conditions, qualifications… I’m not interested in that.” Gu Ziwei asked, “Your small theater has been quite successful. If I have time, I’d like to go check it out.”

“Senior reporter, you should be well-informed. Don’t you know that after your article was published, the small theater was sealed the next day? On the third day, the music studio was closed, fined, and reorganized?” Song Haowen stared into Gu Ziwei’s eyes.

“What? What are you saying?” Gu Ziwei was shocked, her eyes instantly turning red. “Why? Did I write something wrong?” She grabbed Song Haowen’s arm, shaking it as if expecting an answer.

Song Haowen sighed gently. “Actually, this has nothing to do with you; you just happened to be involved.”

He then explained the whole situation, including how Black Bear’s cousin, through her affair with a high-ranking official, sought revenge, resulting in hefty fines for the music studio, substantial back taxes for him and Tian Nana, and the ten false accusations by the “Suburban Daily.”

He even revealed the real reason for participating in the martial arts competition: a desperate gamble for a better future, hoping to deter further harm.

Listening to Song Haowen’s account, Gu Ziwei was completely stunned, tears streaming down. Her crying startled Song Haowen, who hastily said, “Hey, Senior Reporter Gu, I didn’t mean to blame you at all.”

After a while, Gu Ziwei finally stopped crying. Choking up, she said, “I never expected these people to be so malicious. Can you guarantee that everything you said is true?”

“Is there any point in lying to you?” Song Haowen retorted. “All of this is absolutely true. I really never thought a high-ranking official could do such conscience-defying things for a mistress.”

Gu Ziwei gritted her teeth, determination shining in her eyes. “I will definitely help you with this. As for the outcome, I can’t guarantee.”

Worried, Song Haowen said, “How do you plan to help us? Please don’t get into trouble.”

“I’ll go back, verify the situation, and visit your music studio. If everything is as you say, I will report it truthfully. I think the public reaction will be significant.” Gu Ziwei said with a determined gaze.

Hearing this, Song Haowen felt a mix of joy and concern. “Isn’t this risky? You might get into trouble. You shouldn’t involve yourself in this; I don’t want to bring you trouble because of this.”

Gu Ziwei sneered, “Rest assured, I know my limits. Just keep a low profile recently, so you don’t stir up new troubles.” With that, she left.

Song Haowen was left with a myriad of emotions. On the way back, thinking about Gu Ziwei’s words, he felt both anticipation and unease.

The next afternoon after school, Song Haowen rode his bike directly to the music studio. It had been a while since he had been there, and upon arrival, he found the courtyard gate locked.

The paper seal on it had been damaged by the rain and had developed cracks. Feeling some self-blame, he wondered how Su Yan and her daughter had been managing during this time.

As one of the shareholders, he had initially paid attention when things went wrong, but later, he distanced himself, leaving everything to the mother and daughter. Although this was a helpless move, it felt somewhat inconsiderate. He considered whether to visit Tian Nana’s house to get the latest updates on the situation.

As Song Haowen hesitated in front of the gate, he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. Startled, he jumped over a meter away in reflex. Turning around, he saw that it was Gu Ziwei, looking at him with a mischievous smile. “You came, why didn’t you make any noise? Like a ghost, you scared me.”

Gu Ziwei covered her mouth, laughing heartily. “I wanted to test the adaptability of this hero. But it seems not so great. If I wanted to ambush you, I’m afraid I would have succeeded.”

Song Haowen blushed involuntarily, feeling a bit embarrassed. “I was a bit distracted just now.”

“What were you thinking? It seems they really made a ruthless move.” Gu Ziwei stared at the seal and sighed. “Where is Manager Su?”

“I don’t know. I was planning to go to her house to inquire about the situation.”

“If you don’t mind, I’ll go with you. I just visited the police station. As you said, Black Bear wasn’t sentenced. He was released the day after he was taken to the police station. The guy with the green hair who confronted him was sentenced to six months of criminal detention. The others received varying sentences, ranging from one to three months of criminal detention. Some have already been released.”

“Could the person behind this be Black Bear’s cousin?”

“It’s hard to confirm for now. However, this morning, I inquired with my friend at the TV station, and it’s true that his cousin has an ambiguous relationship with that city leader. It has become an open secret, and recently, she secretly gave birth to his son. The two of them own a luxurious villa in the suburbs of Beijing and have hired a nanny and a housemaid.”

“Ah? There’s such a thing? This guy is really audacious, isn’t he afraid of being exposed?”

“Who would bother meddling in such matters? Even if someone investigates, they will deny it vehemently. What can you do with the little evidence you have in your hands? Besides, given his high position, his social connections must be very complex. It’s not something just anyone can influence.”

“So, we can only endure this silently?” Song Haowen said unwillingly.

“Taking action against them and helping you can be dealt with separately,” Gu Ziwei confidently said. “Trying to confront them now, with the limited evidence you have, would be useless. However, evildoers will eventually face retribution. Although we might not be able to act against them now, helping you regain your rightful rights and minimizing your economic and reputational losses is still achievable. Let’s go, I’ll go with you to meet Manager Su, and let me hear what she has to say.”

Somehow, Gu Ziwei’s image in Song Haowen’s mind suddenly rose. They had only met during a not-so-smooth interview, yet she showed such concern for his situation.

Despite her young age, she was fearless, which deeply touched him. Therefore, when she mentioned meeting Su Yan again, he readily agreed.

Su Yan’s home was not far from the music studio, and although Song Haowen had only been there once or twice, the route was familiar. Buying a bag of fruits from a roadside store, they walked for about fifteen minutes and entered a large compound of government dormitories. There were several six-story buildings with red walls and gray tiles, giving off a sense of the Republican era. Su Yan’s residence was in Room 506 of Building 2, a three-bedroom suite. Although the interior wasn’t very spacious, it was tastefully decorated, exuding an intellectual atmosphere.

Song Haowen and Gu Ziwei arrived just in time. Su Yan had just returned from running errands and hadn’t had the chance to close the door yet when they arrived.

Seeing Song Haowen knocking on the door, Su Yan’s eyes lit up. She jokingly said, “Finally, a living person! I thought you were dead somewhere, never coming to the music studio to help, and leaving that mess for me… But who would have thought you secretly went to compete, defeated the ‘Boxing King’ from the United States, and even got an audience with a leader. My goodness, you don’t know, after Nana heard about your victory, she was overjoyed, crying and laughing. We all scolded her for going crazy…” She rambled on, not realizing Gu Ziwei, who stood beside Song Haowen, had not been introduced.