Gong Yue glanced at the clock in the study and noticed it was already eleven o’clock. Feeling a bit concerned, he decided to go check on Shanshan in the bedroom.
Quietly opening the bedroom door, he found the blackout curtains still drawn, making the room dimly lit. However, Gong Yue noticed that Shanshan was already awake, though he was hiding under the covers, murmuring something to himself. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice someone entering the room.
“Awake?” Gong Yue approached the bed, but noticed no movement under the covers. Understanding Shanshan’s thought process almost instantly, Gong Yue felt a bit helpless. “Hiding under the covers, don’t want to see me?”
No response.
“Sorry?”
Still no response.
Gong Yue pinched his brow in frustration, conceding, “I’ve forgotten what happened last night.”
After a moment, Shanshan, like a curious little turtle, cautiously poked his head out from under the covers, his hair disheveled and a bit of sleep in the corner of his eyes.
But Gong Yue always saw Shanshan through a soft filter, so no matter how he looked, he was beautiful in his eyes.
Wrapped in the blanket, Shanshan was cautiously optimistic, fearing that Gong Yue might change his mind. “You really forgot?”
“Really forgot.”
Although Shanshan knew it was a white lie told out of kindness, he exaggeratedly sighed in relief—after all, he finally had a reason to come out from under the covers! Running his fingers through his hair, Shanshan suddenly widened his eyes as he realized an important issue.
“Your Majesty, why haven’t you gone to court yet? Has the palace fallen?”
“… ”
Gong Yue intentionally postponed his morning work to stay at home, afraid that Shanshan would overthink things if he were alone. However, seeing Shanshan’s bright and lively appearance now, he hesitated for a moment before responding, “I’ll leave in ten minutes.”
After speaking, he reached out and ruffled Shanshan’s hair, softening his tone, “Shanshan, are you still worried?”
With their “100% telepathy” activated, Shanshan instantly understood what Gong Yue was asking him, so he shook his head, “Not worried, I trust you, I believe everything you say.”
Since Gong Yue had said they wouldn’t separate, then they wouldn’t separate.
Shanshan had always considered himself open-minded, capable of containing an entire Pacific Ocean without any trouble. So, he decided to let go of any sadness or unhappiness he had felt before and eagerly called out to Gong Yue, who was about to leave, “Your Majesty, I want to go get my hair cut today.”
Gong Yue nodded, “Let Lin Xiatian accompany you, and we’ll have dinner together tonight when I return.”
After Gong Yue left, Shanshan rolled around on the bed, seriously considering what cool hairstyle he should get. As he thought about it, he reached up and touched his eyelids, feeling inexplicably happy!
***
Gong Yue entered the office and asked Yi Si Te, “How’s the situation with Zhao Yaozu?”
“We found evidence and handed it over to the network technology team.” Passing over the documents, Yi Si Te continued his report after seeing Gong Yue glance at him, “Zhao Yaozu is easy to investigate. He has been extremely arrogant and conceited in the past two years, and his actions lack any disguise. People who have been involved in money and sex exchanges with him are not of concern. The sixth page contains evidence of his recent hiring of internet trolls to attack Young Master Ye. As per your instructions, specific affairs have been transferred to the legal department, and a lawyer’s letter will be sent out tomorrow, and the relevant media have also been informed.”
Gong Yue nodded, looking at the words printed on the paper, the sarcastic remarks Zhao Yaozu made about Ye Shanshan on Weibo, his expression cold.
Teaching Shanshan how to behave, huh? Do you even have the qualifications to teach?
Tapping his fingers on the desk, the dull “thud” sound echoed as Gong Yue set the documents aside — this person likes to set the tone, right? Then let him try what it’s like to be influenced by the tone.
At one o’clock in the afternoon, like a sudden thunderbolt from a clear sky, the internet was suddenly flooded with the same news.
The surname Zhao, a top agent of the domestic entertainment giant Yingshi Entertainment, has been coercing his artists into money and sex exchanges for years, and even drugged a 17-year-old female artist under his command, eventually leading to her suicide.
To cover up this fact, Yingshi Entertainment came forward to cover it up, claiming that the female artist committed suicide due to depression, and the matter was eventually dropped.
As the news broke, surveillance videos from parking lots and hotels also surfaced.
The videos clearly showed how the agent surnamed Zhao drugged the female artist in the parking lot, then took her into a room, and left five minutes later. Fifteen minutes after the agent surnamed Zhao left, three other men entered the room. It wasn’t until the afternoon of the next day that the female artist emerged from the room, visibly struggling to walk and even stumbled several times.
The report stated that three days after the incident, the female artist committed suicide by taking pills in her apartment, leaving behind a suicide note with only one sentence, “I hate this world.” However, due to Yingshi Company silencing the media, it was not reported.
The news of concrete evidence being presented sparked a wave of emotions among the public.
Although the report did not name names, it was easy to guess that the agent surnamed Zhao was the director of Yingshi, Zhao Yaozu, and the female artist who committed suicide was Li Qingning, the annual champion of a singing competition, who was only seventeen years old and had signed with Yingshi Entertainment six months ago.
When the news of her suicide due to depression broke, it also elicited sympathy from many.
But now, knowing the truth of the matter, it was truly unbearable.
***
In the office, Zhao Yaozu stood by the window and glanced at the reporters gathered downstairs. Suddenly, he closed the blinds in frustration and exclaimed, “Who the hell is trying to take me down?”
Xu Tian was sitting in a chair reading the script. Upon hearing Zhao Yaozu’s outburst, he replied, “Just think about who you’ve offended recently.” Seeing Zhao Yaozu’s fierce glare, he closed the script and continued, “This situation is escalating, and whoever is targeting you is willing to spend money, hiring internet trolls and influencers to control public opinion. Aren’t you going to seek help?”
Upon being reminded, Zhao Yaozu suddenly realized and became determined, “Right, you’re right. I should seek help! Am I someone to be bullied?” He quickly took out his phone and started dialing numbers from his contacts list.
“Hello, Director Zhang—”
As Zhao Yaozu listened to the disconnected “beep” sound from the receiver, he paused for a moment, refusing to believe it. He tried another number, but after dialing over a dozen numbers, he either couldn’t get through because the line was busy or the call was abruptly ended as soon as the recipient realized who he was.
Realizing something was amiss, he leaned against the wall in despair. As Zhao Yaozu’s grip loosened, his phone fell to the ground with a loud “clack.”
Among the numerous calls he made, only one person spoke to him for a few sentences.
“The person targeting you is someone we can’t afford to offend. You’d better think about how you ended up in this situation. Anyway, take care of yourself!”
Take care of himself? Admit that he was behind it? Impossible!
At that moment, the office door was knocked open. “Director Zhao, President Ying is asking to see you upstairs.”
Zhao Yaozu picked up his phone and stood up. He followed the secretary into the elevator, feeling like everyone passing by was staring at him, mocking him, making his hand holding the phone turn pale.
Entering the CEO’s office, Zhao Yaozu couldn’t contain himself, “President Ying, who is trying to sabotage me? And what about those reporters downstairs, are they just here to freeload? Why aren’t they being chased away?”
Noticing President Shi Zuo’s silence, Zhao Yaozu’s heart sank. “President Ying, what do you mean by this?”
Taking a few steps forward, Zhao Yaozu spoke rapidly and anxiously, “Back then, when the company was in financial trouble, I begged President Wang, and he demanded that the woman be sent to his bed. You agreed to it. Now that the money’s in hand and everything’s settled, are you turning your back on me?”
Shi Zuo glanced at the visibly agitated Zhao Yaozu, maintaining a calm demeanor. “You handled this matter from beginning to end, didn’t you?”
“But—” Zhao Yaozu’s face turned red, feeling choked as if someone was strangling him. Now he understood. From the very beginning, the company’s higher-ups had no intention of getting involved in such dirty affairs.
And for him, sending the artists away to please investors, in the eyes of these higher-ups, meant nothing!
At that moment, Zhao Yaozu suddenly felt like a clown, a joke! Now that he had served his purpose and the truth was out, they could push him aside and silence the media!
Ignoring Zhao Yaozu’s thoughts, Shi Zuo pushed a document forward. “Starting today, take a vacation. The company will cover your expenses. Go abroad, travel, and broaden your horizons. Maybe by the time things settle down, everyone will forget, and you can come back to continue as Yingshi’s ace agent.”
Zhao Yaozu stood still, motionless.
“Do you want to know who’s behind this?”
Shi Zuo didn’t care about Zhao Yaozu’s attitude. After all, who would care about the emotions of a worthless bug under their feet? “The one behind this is from the Yuli side. It seems that our probing this time has met with strong resistance.”
With a slight smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, Shi Zuo added, “You’ve worked hard.”
Zhao Yaozu glared at Shi Zuo fiercely, his facial muscles twitching. In the end, he said nothing and turned to leave.
***
By the time Gong Yue returned a little after five o’clock, Shanshan was not there to welcome him.
Disappointed, he walked into the living room, where he noticed something moving on the couch. Upon closer inspection, he saw Shanshan sitting there.
Shanshan had cut his hair a bit shorter this time and dyed it all green. His bangs were tousled, revealing his entire face, which was stunning. Coupled with his fair skin, he looked like a radish growing on the couch from a distance.
Upon seeing Gong Yue back, Shanshan put down the serious script he was reading, kneeling on the couch. He touched his uniquely colored hair and asked, “Your Majesty, do I look good? I spent a long time choosing this color, but I’m not sure how it turned out. It’s my first time dyeing it this way.”
What could Gong Yue say? “You look beautiful.” Aside from the unconventional color, he was indeed beautiful.
He took a few steps towards the stairs, then stopped. “Shanshan.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t dye it rainbow colors.” That was the bottom line. After a moment’s thought, Gong Yue added, “Next time you dye your hair, I’ll go with you.”
As Gong Yue went upstairs, Shanshan touched his freshly colored hair. “Rainbow colors?” His eyes lit up. “That sounds like a great idea!”
!
1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ❤️”
