A clarification statement was soon arranged and released by a proxy lawyer. Because the agents of both parties did not want their artists to get too involved in this matter, Shao Si and Gu Yanzhou remained silent throughout the entire situation.
It seemed like this matter is being treated as if it’s really important.
But this is probably the entertainment industry’s most unique clarification statement. It includes an email from the internationally renowned jewelry designer David, stating that although it’s not mainstream, the ring is indeed not a wedding ring but a decorative ring he designed a few years ago.
And then it went on to explain Shao Si’s… exposed underwear.
— Liar! You really thought we can’t tell the difference between underwear and a tattoo?
— This is obviously a tattoo!
— I just know that it’s underwear! You guys are all blind!
This scandal instantly turned into a fight between underwear and tattoos.
It seemed even more viral than the incident a few years ago when netizens debated over whether a certain dress was blue and black or white and gold.
Shao Si’s wardrobe malfunction photo was candidly taken by a fan during an event where he was bending over to pick something up, so the quality of the picture isn’t good and it’s also a little blurry.
From the photo, not only can you see the edge of his black boxers, you can also catch a glimpse of a lean waist.
…quite a slender waist actually.
For the first time ever, Chen Yang smiled as he browsed through Weibo, despite being previously annoyed at this “where there is no wind, there are no waves” situation. He chuckled twice, but felt that it was inappropriate, then coughed and adjusted his expression before saying to Gu Yanzhou, “The statement has already been sent out, so it might settle down in a bit but it won’t die down for a while.”
Gu Yanzhou closed his eyes as he let the makeup artist powder his face, but remained silent upon hearing Chen Yang’s words.
Chen Yang thought for a moment then added, “That Shao Si is quite interesting. I remember you used to like him a lot back then, you even complimented him when he first debuted…”
Gu Yanzhou’s eyelids twitched a little.
“Why did you suddenly dislike him now?” Chen Yang asked since he rarely sees Gu Yanzhou having a problem with anyone.
Gu Yanzhou opened his eyes. Normally, he would wear a subtle smile with a gentle and humble expression on his face.
However, since he’s just had his makeup done, there is no expression on his face, making the Film Emperor Gu who’s known for being gentle appear quite cold. Not only that, there’s also a chilling aura in his eyes that is easily intimidating to others.
Gu Yanzhou glanced at Chen Yang then subtly changed the subject, “Brother Yang, pass me my script.”
Chen Yang got up to get him the script, took a rest for a while but ultimately couldn’t resist and continued what he was saying before, “Let me think… what did you say back then… this kid is quite talented, good-looking too… if I didn’t remember wrong, you also complimented his physique right?”
When Shao Si first made his debut, he starred in a swimming themed film that told the story of a child suffering from a heart disease who dreamed to one day become a national level swimmer representing the country.
The movie often had scenes of him only wearing a pair of swimming trunks and other revealing shots.
……
Gu Yanzhou’s hand that was flipping through the script paused, then gestured to the makeup artist to stop applying powder.
After waiting for the makeup artist to finish packing her things and leave, Gu Yanzhou leaned back in his chair, cracked his knuckles, and said carelessly, “You remembered wrong.”
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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Xe Tjchtbe gfifjrfv tlr tjcvr jcv ibbxfv ja atf alwf, “Pa’r jiwbra 9 cbk, vb sbe cffv ab ub yjmx ab atf mbwqjcs?”
Chen Yang thought, could the change of topic be any more obvious?
However, regardless of the clarifications, the rumors about Shao Si and Gu Yanzhou continued to escalate. This type of situation is just like throwing a bucket of shit onto someone’s head, but even if you remove the bucket, the stench still remains.
People, regardless of the truth, just want to believe what they want to believe.
We can’t stop the mouths of thousands upon thousands of netizens, nor can we stop them from taking sides.
.
The day quickly passed by.
As the sky gradually darkened, the air became oppressive, and there were signs of an impending heavy rainstorm during the night.
Just as the city was finally quieting down, another explosive event was quietly brewing.
“…I’ve had enough, I’VE HAD ENOUGH,” came a woman’s hoarse voice. She began with a low muttering, then suddenly raised her volume, producing a sound similar to a dagger scraping against metal, abrupting startling anyone who might have heard her. “—YOU GUYS ALL FORCED ME!”
The voice seemed to be pouring out all the strength from her chest, as if there was poison laced between her teeth.
Each word being squeezed out from her throat, repeating, “It’s all because you guys forced me.”
The person on the other end of the phone said something, and the woman’s expression gradually calmed down, but only for a moment. After that moment, she bent her eyes, drew back the corners of her mouth and laughed.
A light and gentle laughter softly echoed throughout the room.
But the expression on the woman’s face was entirely different. The bright red lipstick smeared messily across her mouth almost reached the base of her ears, and her smile gave off a strange and eerie feeling.
She was currently facing away from the balcony, and the sliding glass door connecting the second floor living room to the balcony was wide open. When the wind blew the curtains, one could catch glimpses of the pitch black night outside though the swaying gauzy fabric.
The woman was dressed in a water blue cheongsam costume that accentuated her curvaceous figure even more.
The woman continued laughing while talking, “Right, I can’t do anything to you, you’ve controlled my whole life, just like a bedbug struggling to live… but you guys will face retribution… karma will get you guys.”
Once she finished speaking, she no longer listened to the other side’s response. She slowly lowered her hand holding the phone from her ear, with the screen still lit and the call time display still continuing.
But the other party kept on talking, and their voice was quite loud. Even though the phone was now at a distance from her, a few particularly distinct words still managed to pierce through the air and reach the woman’s ears.
Whore.
Slut.
Fuck.
“…so noisy.” The woman seemed to softly whisper before abruptly hanging up the call.
She bent down to pick up a white medicine bottle from the table, then poured herself a glass of red wine before walking towards the balcony with both in hand.
It was already quite deep into the night, and the house was evidently located in a remote area. The woman sat on the edge of the balcony with her feet dangling in the air in an extremely dangerous position.
She looked into the distance for a long time, but she didn’t see many lights.
It’s so cold.
She thought.
The woman twisted open the medicine bottle, her fingers adorned with a vintage agate ring gleaming subtly in the night. But despite wearing an elegant costume with delicate stitches, this was the only accessory she had.
Perhaps she also noticed the ring. She paused and stared blankly, as if remembering something.
Thus, she placed down the medicine bottle and dialed another person’s number.
The display read: Brother Gu.
.
[I have a bad premonition.]
The next morning at 6:30, the System woke Shao Si up: […Really, I feel like something’s not right.]
[What are you doing… so early in the morning.]
Shao Si turned his body over. He had spent the previous day reviewing the file sent by the private detective, which organized all the photos and schedules together.
Included was a secretly recorded video capturing the day Yang Yinyin was sick and had to be supported into the company by her manager and assistant.
Shao Si thought about what it would normally take for a sick person to suddenly twitch all over the body like they’ve taken some drugs.
…But the chance that it was drugs wasn’t entirely impossible either.
Just last year, he teamed with the System to take down several drug users.
But catching a drug user only earns one year of lifespan. Once he split the amount with the broken System, they only each get half a year.
But this time when the System sent over the mission, it clearly stated that completion would earn them ten years of lifespan.
Ten years. Splitting it with the System would be five years.
So this mission definitely isn’t that simple.
At this moment, the System suddenly went quiet. After a while, when Shao Si almost went back to sleep, the System suddenly shouted: [Something’s really wrong. Yang Yinyin’s lifespan changed, did something happen?]
[…Stop saying inauspicious words.]
Once Shao Si finished speaking, he thought about the System’s ‘crow’s mouth’ dark history and instantly felt a headache coming up. So he resignedly opened his eyes and sat up.
But despite being broken, among the System’s few abilities, one of its relatively stronger ones has always been its ill-fated predictions.
With every prediction, every one was always accurate.
Shao Si turned on the light and reached for his phone from the bedside table. The moment he connected to the Internet, a HOT Weibo notification instantly dinged in.
— SHOCKING! FEMALE CELEBRITY SURNAMED Y DIES LATE AT NIGHT! Suspected suicide, exact cause of death currently under further police investigation.
[Female celebrity with surname Y?] Shao Si scratched his head, [Yang Yinyin…? Tongtong, you really do have an incredible crow’s mouth huh.]
System: [It’s not like I wanted this either.]
[If the mission target dies, does it count as a failure?]
Shao Si had never encountered such a situation before in any of his previous missions. Usually, he would complete his mission first, and then the police would get involved.
However, to his surprise, the System replied: […It doesn’t count.]
[Then what kind of mission target is she?] Shao Si fell back and stared at the word ‘dies’ on the news in a trance.
[She’s dead, but her involvement in the mission isn’t.]
The System gave an ambiguous explanation: [As long as the dirty secrets haven’t been uncovered, the mission won’t end.]
This happened so suddenly that at first Shao Si wanted to believe it was fake, just like the news about his marriage with Gu Yanzhou.
But this time, it was real.
Especially since Li Guangzong called him gently and cautiously for a heart-to-heart talk.
“Dad, don’t put too much pressure on yourself, your life will always be the most important. I know your recent schedules the company gave is a little too much, and I… sometimes my attitude isn’t the best… but I’ll be more gentle with you in the future and be more understanding and tolerate of your bad temper. We have to be more clear-headed, no matter what happens, choosing suicide is not right…”
It was at this time that Shao Si’s heart truly sank.
The media wouldn’t immediately publish such news, especially without confirmation of the cause of death. But people in the industry are usually the first to know whether someone is alive or truly dead.
Shao Si’s heart chilled, “Yang Yinyin really died?”
“You knew?” Li Guangzong was initially surprised, then sighed, “She’s dead, she’s really dead. Took a whole bottle of sleeping pills, then jumped from the second floor.”
“You say, what can’t be resolved that someone would choose suicide… once a person is gone, everything is gone… she didn’t even leave a suicide note…”
Li Guangzong paused mid-sentence, “But there is one thing that’s really strange. When she jumped, she was wearing the cheongsam from The Flames of the Past, that really popular Republican-era drama series from last year.”
The author has something to say:
Dumb author: Yinyin, come get your tangyuan bento.
Yinyin: Ying.
T/N: Hi everyone, I’m very sorry for not updating this novel for like 6 months, I did not drop this, it’s just I totally forgot about it lol… I will try to be more consistent now! Anyway, I’m wondering if you’d prefer certain words to be kept their pinyin or be directly translated. Ex: Either Brother Gu or as Gu da-ge (顾大哥) which is IMO more intimate. Another example would be Brother or gege (哥哥), which is again more intimate IMO. Thanks!
Welcome back! I have definitely read this chapter before, was it picked up by someone and later deleted?
For translating vs pinyin… I actually prefer pinyin (most of the time) because some translations end up being pretty long or sounding too artificial.
Anyways, thank you for the chapter.
omg ur back!!! i prefer pinyin ngl its easier to read
💖✨💖✨
I thought you dropped it, so I went and read MTL… I always end up regretting though. Thankfully, you’re back with a nice translation and I’ll be able to understand better.
Pinyin please, I wanna read the interaction between father and son haha
Welcome back! I also prefer pinyin, it feels more natural to me.
Pinyin sounds great. And welcome back!
Welcome back!! My preference is pinyin