Chapter 13

Yan Zhao was mentally exhausted by Shen Yuanting. He casually said, “Is that so? Help me write the withdrawal announcement. I’m tired. I’ll pack up and leave Xingren.”

Song Jing: “…”

Song Jing said, “What are you thinking? I told you to come back quickly for the announcement. Why are you talking about withdrawal?”

Yan Zhao regained his energy and sat up straight, asking, “Is Cao Zhicheng’s matter resolved?”

“Not yet, but it’s close,” Song Jing teased. “You’ve really impressed some big shot, instigated everyone around him to rebel. Now he’s a street rat with no way to turn things around.”

Yan Zhao instinctively looked at the front seat. Shen Yuanting’s profile was flawless, as if crafted with springwater.

Beneath the calm exterior, hid a dark heart.

Yan Zhao said, “This can’t be spoken of.”

The more influential the big shot, the more confidential the information. Song Jing didn’t press further and instead advised, “You have a busy schedule. You don’t have time to recover slowly. Adjust yourself and don’t let others see you as a joke.”

Yan Zhao replied, “Understood, can’t lose momentum.”

Song Jing briefed him on recent arrangements, told him to review documents, practice dance, and memorize songs, then hung up the phone.

Yan Zhao held the phone, and licked his lips.

He really didn’t want to talk to Shen Yuanting, but he was bound by Shen Yuanting, and he couldn’t pretend to be mute forever.

Yan Zhao leaned forward, hands on one side of the backrest: “Is the matter with Cao Zhicheng your doing?”

Shen Yuanting glanced without looking away: “I can’t let you go sing for someone else.”

Yan Zhao: “…” This statement sounded strange, like lines from a period drama where the prince reserved a courtesan. Clearly, he had been pure when singing on the bridge before!

Yan Zhao moved his gaze away, leaned back, resting against the backrest, and turned his head to look out the window: “Thank you…”

Shen Yuanting said: “Verbal thanks lack sincerity; you should express gratitude through actions.”

—If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked. Why did I dig a pit for myself?

Yan Zhao felt bitter but didn’t dare to retort. He could only reluctantly ask: “Then… what should I do?”

Shen Yuanting calmly said: “I haven’t decided yet. Let me think about how to bully you.”

Yan Zhao: “You can take your time to think.” Could he still escape from this situation by confronting Shen Yuanting head-on?

Not only Yan Zhao wanted to smash Shen Yuanting with tofu, but also a certain Ms. Tang.

Yan Zhao asked again: “Shen Yuanting, I have another question. Are you really suspended, or…”

“Did Tang Jingyan tell you?” Shen Yuanting guessed it was her, with an indifferent attitude. “Shen Zhongkai wants to be the president, so let him be. Give them an early birthday present. As for how well he can do and how long he can last…”

Shen Yuanting smiled and said, “Then it’s none of my business.”

—Oh my god, listen to that laughter of yours at the end. Who are you trying to deceive with that carefree appearance??? If you don’t stop digging a pit for me, I’ll have the same last name as you, damn it!

A series of barrages comments flashed through Yan Zhao’s mind, and then Shen Yuanting asked a deadly question, “Why do you care about this issue? Are you worried that I can’t afford to support you?”

Yan Zhao, with a strong will to survive, immediately replied, “You’re so capable, not to mention one of me, you can support ten of me!”

Little Rose^[1]小玫瑰(xiǎo méiguī) = Little Rose is Yan Zhaowas very obedient, and Shen Yuanting smiled in a good mood: “I only want you.”

…

Wang Zai came out of its nest and meowed around the two of them when they returned home.

Yan Zhao played with it for a while, opened a can of food for it, lazily settled on the sofa, and took out his phone.

His default account was his trumpet account^[2]小號(xiǎohào) = Trumpet account = Alternate account, and as soon as he refreshed it, he saw a message from @Yan Zhao Official Fan Club:

[May my boy always carry the torch forward.]

Yan Zhao smiled and found a marketing account that followed the entire process.

It all started with a long Weibo post by Ying Hongyu:

[@Yan Zhao, thank you for your courage, which has shown me that as long as there is light, darkness will be dispelled. [Image].]

The image is a text conversion that details the entire process of Ying Hongyu being harassed by director Cao Zhicheng after filming “Falling Venus.”——

He was forced to attend drinking sessions, followed, and threatened. He sought help from his manager, but the manager said to him, “Others can endure it, why can’t you? He hasn’t really harmed you. Will you lose a piece of flesh if he touches you?”

There were rumors online that Ying Hongyu came from a wealthy family, but in fact, it was the opposite. He dropped out of school to act in order to repay his debts. In order to secure his future, he could only endure it. However, on that day in the parking lot, his manager and Cao Zhicheng conspired together and drugged his drink. And then, the scenes that appeared in the video followed.

[At that moment, when I closed my eyes, I really thought everything would just end like that. But then a ray of light shone through, and when I opened my eyes, the darkness dispersed. I realized that even in a situation where I had resigned myself, there were still people willing to lend me a hand.]

Yan Zhao stared at those words, closed his eyes for a moment, and his eyes felt dry from not blinking for a long time.

When he went to save Ying Hongyu, he didn’t think too much, he just did what he wanted to do. But he didn’t expect that his casual actions would be so important to Ying Hongyu. Important enough that even with concrete evidence, he still chose to cut open his own wounds to reveal the truth to the world.

With Ying Hongyu’s article, which harmed the enemy while also hurting himself, the online sentiment quickly reversed.

[Damn it, weren’t Cao Zhicheng and Ying Hongyu good friends? And they have the audacity to call sexual harassment intimate behavior between friends. Can I be friends with you using a cucumber?!]

[And that manager, she’s simply despicable. Instead of supporting her artist, she colluded with Cao Zhicheng, as treacherous as a snake, more venomous than a viper!]

[Ying Hongyu is so unlucky. Being harassed by the director and betrayed by his manager. If it weren’t for Yan Zhao rescuing him, how much more damage would he have suffered?]

[Yan Zhao is also in a miserable state. He stood up for justice and ended up being falsely accused. The haters he received these days could pile up into a mountain!]

At first, netizens were angry, but as they read on, they became saddened.

What celebrities show to the public is always their glamorous appearance, but who can truly understand the hardships hidden behind those luxurious robes?

We live in the human world, and no one is without worries like a god.

Of course, relying on a press release alone is not enough to bring down Cao Zhicheng. Who is Director Cao? He has been in the entertainment industry for decades and has seen all kinds of storms.

So, within half an hour of Ying Hongyu’s statement, there were already internet trolls at work.

They first implied that Ying Hongyu himself was not clean and questioned why he didn’t speak up sooner. Of course, they didn’t forget to criticize Yan Zhao: If you want to save someone, save them. What’s with driving and hitting someone? If Director Cao is in front of your car, can’t you just stay in the car? I think you’re just trying to ride on Ying Hongyu’s popularity like the rumors a few days ago!

Salt Soda^[3]鹽汽水(yán qì shuǐ) = Salt Soda is the name of Yan Zhao’s fans, and Feathers^[4]羽毛(yǔmáo) = Feathers  is the name of Ying Hongyu’s fans were infuriated. Stirring up trouble is one thing, but damn, you want to make us fight among ourselves?! I tell you, it’s impossible. We are a united front now!!!

The waters behind Cao Zhicheng are deep, even if passers-by keep suffering. Fans of Yan and Ying are fighting desperately, but trending hashtags like #CaoZhichengSexualHarassingYingHongyu# and #YanZhaoSavingPeople# were removed from the platform, replaced with topics like #YingHongyuUnderTheUnwrittenRules# and #YanZhaoIntentionallyHittingPeople#. For a while, online opinions were once again under control.

Just as Weibo posts with that keywords were being deleted one by one, leaving only pro-Cao Zhicheng comments on the internet, an audio clip suddenly appeared in the public eye.

[“Damn, that little troublemaker has some nerve. I originally wanted to teach him a lesson, but he managed to escape. If I had known, I should have arranged more people… What? I’m not injured; if he dared to harm me, he wouldn’t be alive!”]

[“I’m not that extreme, of course. Xiao Jia, do you know how much Director Cao cares for his juniors? Misunderstandings can be resolved in bed hahaha!”]

[“Hey, take a look. No matter how self-righteous he acts, now he’s calling personally… Is it publicized? Alright, I’ll listen to my junior… Yan Zhao, do you dare to curse at me?!”]

[“Do you think I forced others, took advantage of them when I slept with them? No, they were willing. It’s you who ruined my good thing. I generously forgive you once, but you don’t appreciate it. Really, offering a toast and not drinking it means you’ll be punished with a forced drink! Cao Ge advises you, don’t hold yourself too high, a straight branch is easy to break. Just like them, happily drink, with Cao Ge covering you, you can still walk sideways in the entertainment industry, understand?”]

[“You’ll only turn back after hitting a wall. In the future, if you can’t get roles and can’t sing, don’t blame me!”]

Voice messages were released, and the more netizens listened, the angrier they became.

—You said I’m uncivilized, now I’ll tell you, be civilized, and others will slash your tires!

—You said Cao Zhicheng is virtuous and talented. In the recording, he’s calling those names, well-known in certain circles, just short of stating the prices!

He, an offender, shamelessly stands in the victim’s position, threatening others with their future. Where’s his face? Where’s his conscience? Have they all been eaten by dogs?!

Now, who doesn’t understand? Cao Zhicheng is a habitual offender using his directorial authority to sexually harass others. Don’t know how many celebrities he has threatened. And Yan Zhao, for justice, is about to have his path cut off!

Indignant netizens rushed to Cao Zhicheng’s Weibo to denounce him. Some are asking Yan Zhao’s agency, Xing Ren Entertainment, to come out and defend the rights of the artist. At the same time, they are somewhat worried.

Will this Weibo post disappear like those other topics without anyone noticing?

But even when the reposts exceeded 50.000, the expected situation did not occur. The removed trending topics… came back???

Netizens were both confused and delighted, and even the platform couldn’t help but feel indignant. Suddenly, it seemed like they had a conscience?

Someone revealed, “Capital has no conscience. The only way to make capital appear to have a conscience is through greater power.”

Regardless of which big shot took action, the situation finally took a turn for the better. Within a few hours, Cao Zhicheng’s dominance was completely overturned, and everyone was calling for his downfall.

Ying Hongyu was already a top-tier talent, and now he had the space to show his skills, tearing down the haters as easily as chopping vegetables.

Yan Zhao, on the other hand, can be said to have made a comeback from a desperate situation. Although he didn’t have as many fans as Ying Hongyu, with this incident, he also won the favor of the public—Impulsive or reckless as it may be, at least he dared to rush in and save someone, and he succeeded!

While the haters didn’t let him go about his driving, there were even professionals explaining that although he drove recklessly, his speed was controlled within a safe zone. Some even said, “If it were me, I could drive even faster [it’s not that simple].”

Seeing the haters being pinned down and beaten by Salt Soda and pure passers-by, Yan Zhao rarely took a strong stance and happily went online to receive the baptism of rainbow farts.^[5] 彩虹屁(cǎihóng pì) = Rainbow farts is an internet buzzword, the meaning is Fans praise their idols in various ways.

[I used to think Yan Zhao was pretentious, but after this incident, let him be pretentious. It’s good to have a kind heart. The haters has turned the tables.]

[We Feathers are very grateful to you. We hope you can continue to walk on the flower path.]

[I’ve always known that you are braver than others.]

[Baby, you are too kind. Mom doesn’t allow you to do such dangerous things anymore!!!]

[Husband, you’re amazing. I command you to marry me immediately!]

These are more typical comments, but there are also ones like these:

[How much courage does it take to choose this path, risking being condemned by thousands, just for a clear conscience? How many tears have you shed in the late night, licking your wounds in silence?]

[Who gave you this finely carved appearance, who bestowed upon you the beautiful voice, who endowed you with this transparent soul? You are the purest youth in the world!]

[1551^[6]1551(yiwuwuyi) = Originally it only meant “shameful”, but because the pronunciation is similar to “ugh woo woo ugh”, it is often used as the meaning of “crying cutely”, my heart aches for my Zhao Zhao. You are like a fairy from heaven, an angel who has not experienced the ugliness of the world. To guard the light in your heart, you would rather fall with the pain of broken wings, just to bring a ray of light to the world!]

Yan Zhao: “…………”

Who is that god-like figure stepping on the edge of a knife with mercy? He was just thinking about wearing sunglasses to look cool later while holding the steering wheel! And what about this eloquence, did you all graduate from poetry recitation class?

The fans nowadays, rainbow farts are really a set of skills!

Yan Zhao laughed holding his phone, rolling on the sofa, and suddenly fell off the sofa. The floor was covered with thick cashmere carpet, very soft, so he didn’t hurt himself when he fell.

Just as he was about to get up, a handsome face entered his field of vision.

Shen Yuanting squatted down, lowered his head, and stared at him, asking a question: “What does ‘招红(Zhāo Hóng) SZD’ mean?”^[7] 招红(Zhāo Hóng) SZD = Well, It will be explained in the next chapter. (⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~

Yan Zhao: “?!”