The person who was posting on Weibo claimed to be Liang Yu’s brother-in-law. He first wrote a lengthy post accusing Liang Yu of various wrongdoings. Some passersby created a summarized version, and they even created a list of his “seven deadly sins”, the most serious of which were “abandonment”, “abduction”, and “kidnapping”. Abandoning his father was the primary accusation, while the victims of abduction were his sisters and mother. Additionally, he destroyed his eldest sister’s “harmonious” marriage, “forcing” his own sister to undergo an abortion. As for the kidnapping, it referred to Liang Yu’s youngest sister, Liang Yan. The “brother-in-law” knew that Liang Yan had autism and accused Liang Yu of disregarding his family members’ health and forcibly taking away Liang Yan, resulting in the separation of an elderly father and his youngest daughter.
Of course, mere words were not enough. Liang Yu’s brother-in-law presented his most compelling piece of evidence—a video from the hotel that the sex scandal occurred in.
In the video, an elderly man knelt before Liang Yu, imploring him to return his mother and sisters. Liang Yu remained unmoved, his expression cold and callous. The way he looked at his father seemed like he was looking at an object rather than a fellow human being. He allowed the other person to cling to his legs and plead, but, in the end, he just calmly said, “Since I decided to take them away, I won’t be bringing them back. What right do you have to ask that of me? The best thing someone like you can do for us would be to die as soon as possible.”
It was clear that parts of the video had been trimmed off, but this particular excerpt hadn’t been manipulated in any way. Liang Yu had indeed said those words himself.
Most media marketing accounts rarely witnessed such solid evidence like this right off the bat. Moreover, the video took place on the same day as the sex scandal was exposed. Now, Xu Jingzhe, who was at the hotel that night, was even being implicated, despite never having appeared in the video. Hence, various conspiracy theories started to spread, including speculation like, “Xu Jingzhe must have been keeping watch at the door.”
The response from Liang Yu’s team was swift. Yang Jierui had likely prepared it in advance. Within twenty-four hours, a legal notice with an official seal was posted directly to the studio’s official account.
The content was concise but loaded, with accusations ranging from “defamation”, “libel” and “extortion” to “domestic violence” and “rape”. The target of this legal notice was very clear. The defendants were none other than Liang Yu’s father, Zhang Futun, and the so-called “brother-in-law”, Niu Bing.
However, it was obvious that a mere legal notice wasn’t enough to satiate the onlookers. They’d seen this move plenty of times. The other side had a video and a story. There weren’t any big issues in their logic, and the timeline seemed to match up. Other than the fans, no one was going to side with a mere piece of paper, even if it had an official seal on it. Most passersby chose to watch from the sidelines. Some even made sarcastic remarks, riding the wave to generate some buzz for themselves.
There were even some artists within the industry who couldn’t wait to distance themselves from Liang Yu. Although none of them were very famous, that didn’t stop marketing accounts from capitalizing off the suffering of others. They wrote several articles about How To Save The Drama Emperor, Xu Jingzhe, From The Quagmire Of Scandal, fanning the flames by cherry-picking a few comments from Xu Jingzhe’s fans. The implication was clear—either sever all ties or admit to participating in the sex scandal. Anything was better than being associated with Liang Yu at this point.
What they didn’t expect was for Xu Jingzhe to repost Liang Yu’s statement as soon as it was released. Moreover, he’d reposted it on his personal account. However, the reception wasn’t very positive. The most liked comment sharply criticized him.
“I don’t understand why you’re jumping out at a time like this. What are you trying to prove? When the sex scandal broke out, I chose to believe you, but Liang Yu wasn’t even there to meet you. You were used as a shield. As a fan of many years, I just have to ask what were you doing there that day? Was everything a lie? Was everything just for the sake of deceiving us, including your relationship with Liang Yu?”
Zhang Man suggested that Xu Jingzhe delete this comment, but Xu Jingzhe didn’t. Zhang Man wouldn’t force him, but she wasn’t going to just watch her artist get bullied either. She had several legal notices banged out in quick succession, directly suing all the marketing accounts writing articles about Xu Jingzhe.
After he shared the statement, the next to step up were Luo Yaoye and Mai Jiu, both of which were clear in their stance. They shared Liang Yu’s statement and expressed their belief in Liang Yu’s character.
Xu Jingzhe was most surprised by the fact that Jiang Yueming shared the statement at almost the same time as he did.
The girl’s comment section was completely unreadable. It was like a dictionary of the most vile words the human imagination could come up with. However, the truly surprising part was the fact that Jiang Yueming was actually replying to the comments. Not only was she replying, she was replying to only the foulest of comments. After two or three hours of such high-intensity back and forth, Jiang Yueming posted a super long post summarizing two central thoughts. One, she would always believe in Mr. Liang, and, two, she firmly believed that Mr. Liang was a champion for all women.
“Go ahead and accuse me of seeking attention or chasing fame. I’m just going to say one thing. It’s a blessing that the industry has actors like Mr. Liang and Mr. Xu, but I guess trash like you guys wouldn’t know the first thing about blessings, right? You pieces of garbage aren’t even fit to speak ill of them! Ptoo!”
That very last line was so vivid that even Luo Yaoye couldn’t help but burst into laughter and share. Of course, Jiang Yueming later ended up on the trending list as well because of this incident. She even had to spend her own money to suppress it.
Xu Jingzhe asked Zhang Man to contact Jiang Yueming so that they could reimburse her, but Jiang Yueming felt embarrassed to accept. She simply asked Xu Jingzhe if he had any news about Liang Yu.
Liang Yu never returned to Xu Jingzhe’s villa because too many paparazzi and media were squatting in the area. The two parted ways after the Starlight Awards. Liang Yu made up his mind to act alone, but he remained calm from beginning to end, a confidence in his demeanor.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Xu Jingzhe clutched his collar and couldn’t say a word. In the end, Zhang Man was the one who persuaded him to let go, telling him that too many people had gathered and that it would be better to leave separately.
Liang Yu nodded, hugging Xu Jingzhe. He cupped the other’s face and pressed kisses into his skin again and again. Xu Jingzhe covered his eyes with his hands, refusing to watch him leave.
Zhang Man calmly asked the driver to start the car. Zhu Xiaoxiao silently shed tears in the back seat. Xu Jingzhe was bent over, still covering his face. He looked as if he’d been abandoned, lonely and fragile.
Initially, Zhang Man believed that Xu Jingzhe wouldn’t be able to pull himself back together until Liang Yu returned. Much to her surprise, however, he was back to normal by the very next day. He even asked her about any upcoming work he had on WeChat.
“There was supposed to be a live interview today.” Zhang Man phoned him, her tone somewhat hesitant. “The interview was scheduled in advance because you and Liang Yu were clearly going to win the best couple award. However, given the current situation … canceling shouldn’t be a problem.”
Xu Jingzhe responded with a noncommittal hum. His voice sounded composed, showing no signs of fatigue or unease. He asked Zhang Man, “Have there been any updates from Yang Jierui?”
Zhang Man: “Yang Jierui’s crisis management was very poor this time. Liang Yu’s fans are publicly criticizing him on Weibo, but he clearly doesn’t have the time to deal with it since he’s busy with this shitshow. The response that they gave me was that they have a mountain of evidence. They plan on releasing it piecemeal. That ought to show those bastards!”
Xu Jingzhe seemed to let out a huff of laughter. He suddenly said, “Don’t cancel the interview. I’m going to prepare. Have Zhu Xiaoxiao come pick me up.”
Zhang Man was taken aback. “You’re really not going to cancel?”
Xu Jingzhe kept her in suspense, responding cryptically, “Isn’t there a public relations strategy in which you cover up a scandal with another scandal? When a scandal occurs, the best solution isn’t to just explain yourself, but to create a bigger topic of conversation to cover it up.” He paused before adding, “After the sex scandal broke, Liang Yu and I used this exact strategy.”
“?” Zhang Man clearly wasn’t following. “So?”
Xu Jingzhe smiled and said, “So let’s go ahead with the interview. I don’t have a problem with it. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao was armed to the nines when she came to pick up Xu Jingzhe. She brought two bodyguards, but that still didn’t feel like it was enough. She wanted nothing more than to drag ten whole bodyguards with her. Her current mood was akin to that of a fan of an idol whose career was coming to an end, feeling as though she was all her idol had left. Upon seeing her, Xu Jingzhe couldn’t help but tease, “Oh, come on. I’m doing fine, aren’t I? No contracts were broken and no money’s been lost, so what are you pitying me for? Are you trying to get a raise out of me?”
Zhu Xiaoxiao resignedly said, “Well … a raise wouldn’t hurt.”
Xu Jingzhe: “Once this is all over, I’ll send you a red envelope.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao brightened up at the mention of a red envelope. She followed Xu Jingzhe into the nanny van. Although paparazzi and media were gathered by the door, they couldn’t get too close with the bodyguards around. Zhu Xiaoxiao messaged Xiao Luo while she was in the car, and Xiao Luo actually responded pretty quickly.
“How’s my sister-in-law? Is he doing well?”
Zhu Xiaoxiao replied, “He’s doing great. Mr. Xu is as pretty and handsome as ever.”
Xiao Luo: “Send me a photo.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao thought about it for a bit. She then asked Xu Jingzhe if she could take a photo of him.
Xu Jingzhe said she could but reminded her to use a filter and to touch up the photo afterward.
Zhu Xiaoxiao was pretty used to his image consciousness by now. After taking the photo and retouching it, she showed it to Xu Jingzhe for approval before sending it to Xiao Luo.
“You two are in a car? Are you heading out to play?” Xiao Luo asked.
Zhu Xiaoxiao: “How can we go out and play with all the paparazzi around? We’re obviously heading to work. What about your side of things? How’s your mom and sisters?”
Xiao Luo: “We’re doing fine. It’s just that my brother won’t let us speak up for him. You know how he is. He’s super protective of us. He thinks that, if we speak up for him, it’ll ruin our reputations, especially in the case of my older sister. My younger sister’s still in school, and my older sister wanted to get married again. I don’t plan on getting married so it doesn’t really matter for me to speak up, but my brother disagrees. Ugh, he’s so controlling. It’s really pissing me off that I’m not allowed to cuss the hell out of these shitstains.”
Zhu Xiaoxiao naturally stood in solidarity with her dear friend, especially since those bastards forced her ship to be separated, which was unforgivable!
The host of this live interview was a well-known talk show host, Qu Tianwen. He’d made his name through his column on famous personalities. Although he wasn’t very close with Xu Jingzhe, the two of them had interacted once during the early days of his career. At that time, Xu Jingzhe was still a newcomer, and Qu Tianwen was still just a small time reporter for some entertainment tabloid. He happened to ask Xu Jingzhe a few questions during the promotions for a new drama of his, and Xu Jingzhe had left him with quite the impression.
“When I interviewed you back then, you were really polite, low-key, humble.” Qu Tianwen chose a sort of open-air cafe as the location for this live interview. There was a round table placed in front of the two of them. The ground was paved in pebble tiles. Not too far away was a bamboo forest, creating a very elegant environment.
A row of cameras was pointed at the two of them. Xu Jingzhe was in good spirits. He barely had any makeup on, and, even with a bare face, there wasn’t any sign of turmoil.
“Well, I was a newcomer at that time.” Xu Jingzhe smiled gently. “It was only appropriate for me to be low-key and humble.”
Qu Tianwen: “What about now? You don’t seem all that wild even now.”
Xu Jingzhe joked, “What do I need to do to be considered wild?” After thinking for a bit, he added, “I’ve already won the title of Drama Emperor three separate times. How much more wild can I get?”
Qu Tianwen pointed at him with a smile, seemingly having caught him red-handed. “That statement just now was pretty wild.”
Xu Jingzhe smiled and said nothing.
Qu Tianwen asked a few more innocuous questions about his future career before, finally, the conversation shifted toward Liang Yu.
“So, does this mean you two are really planning on getting married?” Qu Tianwen’s approach to this question was very gentle. It was plain to see that he came with friendly intentions. “I heard it’s going to be at the end of this year.”
Xu Jingzhe nodded, his expression calm. “Yes, that’s right.”
Qu Tianwen: “In that case, you’ll have to invite me. I’ll give you guys a red envelope.”
“Definitely.” Xu Jingzhe smiled again, his expression as sweet as honey. It didn’t seem like an act. If it really was an act, Qu Tianwen felt that he truly deserved his title of Drama Emperor.
“But isn’t this topic a little too conservative?” Xu Jingzhe suddenly began cuing himself. “Is this how you usually do your celebrity columns? Won’t the audience get bored?”
“…” Qu Tianwen squawked, “Don’t you know that I’m often said to ask really sharp questions?!”
Xu Jingzhe shrugged, his expression seeming to say, “Is that all you’ve got?”
Qu Tianwen’s eyes widened, deliberately putting on an offended front, but his performance was far too exaggerated to be taken in earnest. “Wow, you’re serious, aren’t you? You’re really not afraid of what I might ask?”
“Ask away.” Xu Jingzhe propped his chin in his hand. He winked, almost provoking him, and said, “You can ask me whatever you like. Take, for instance, what I was doing at that hotel on the night of the sex scandal.”
Qu Tianwen: “?!” He thought asking questions about Liang Yu was already pushing the limits, but he didn’t expect Xu Jingzhe to push them even further himself. Didn’t he realize that they were live? What was he trying to do?!
Xu Jingzhe stopped looking at Qu Tianwen. Instead, he turned his head straight towards the camera and spoke, one word at a time, “It’s true. I didn’t go to the hotel that day to meet with Liang Yu. I actually went there without telling him to meet a psychiatrist.”
He explained, “I’ll provide my medical records later to prove it.”
Qu Tianwen almost felt as though he could not breathe. He was, for the first time, completely disregarding the popularity of the live broadcast, subconsciously asking, “Mr. Liang still doesn’t know?”
“He knows.” Xu Jingzhe’s smile was so perfect that it seemed unreal. He seemed to be reflecting, reminiscing. “He knows everything but he still chooses to accept me, love me, and respect me, so I’m going to do the same.”
Xu Jingzhe looked at the camera, carrying on his one-man show with a confession. “No matter what kind of person he is, I will still accept him, love him, and respect him.”
“Someone asked me on Weibo about my relationship with Liang Yu.” Xu Jingzhe was silent for a moment. He then raised his hand and gently placed it over his heart. “This is my relationship with him. This will also be the only explanation and the only right answer to the question that is my future and the rest of my life.”
The Author Has Something To Say:
The lazier the title, the more interesting the chapter.
This novel is pretty much in the latter half now. If I don’t write their day to day life, I can probably wrap up the novel soon. (However, I know you guys won’t let me do that…) (One can only dream, stop scolding, stop scolding.)
gasp the truths are out!
Wow!!! The courage 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
You go, XJ, protect your man! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Go XJ you can do it!!! Help your husband in trouble
Thanks for the chapter
I’m so proud of our bubus! And video which can be (and was) easily manipulated is a solid evidence? Don’t make me laugh =.= The people who love jumping into quick conclusion are not only stupid, but also disgusting as well
Thank You for the new chapter (⋈◍＞◡＜◍)。✧♡