Wu Fan jerked his head up, his face filled with disbelief as he looked towards his assistant. The next moment, his entire face drained of color.
He finally realized that the evidence in his hands was now worthless. He was too late.
Sure enough.
Jing Li slightly nodded his head, seeming unsurprised by this at all. Finally, he raised his eyes to look at Wu Fan, the corners of his lips curving up in a faint, mocking smile, “As you heard, your information is meaningless to me.”
With just one sentence, Wu Fan was completely thrown from heaven to hell.
Wu Fan stood there, stunned and dazed, his mind buzzing chaotically.
If all of Wang Junwen’s actions were under Jing Li’s control, he really couldn’t think of any leverage left that could sway Jing Li.
Or rather, if even Wang Junwen was powerless against Jing Li, he dared not imagine what consequences awaited him for offending the other party.
Moreover, he had also betrayed Wang Junwen.
Endless fear nearly suffocated his chest. Wu Fan no longer cared about anything else. With a frightened look, he pleaded, “Jing Shao, I’m sorry. I was previously blinded by greed, which led me to want to do things that would harm you.“
“I guarantee I will never dare to have any ulterior motives again. If Wang Junwen contacts me again, I will immediately record it and inform you.”
“Right, the evidence in my hands – I’ll bring it to you as soon as I get back. If you need it, I can immediately post online to expose Wang Junwen’s schemes.”
This time, he had lowered his stance as much as possible. As if still feeling it wasn’t enough, he hurriedly added, “In the future, I will look to you for guidance in all matters. I will never disobey your words. Please be merciful and spare me this once.”
Having said this, he stared anxiously at Jing Li, nervously awaiting the other’s response.
Jing Li gazed at him silently, an innate aura of prestige and power surrounding him, as if able to see through one’s soul. Even the air around them grew taut and thin from the intensity.
Just as Wu Fan was about to collapse under his piercing stare, Jing Li finally let out a soft chuckle and lazily said, “Looking to me for guidance won’t be necessary. I can’t trust someone like you anyway.”
He glanced at the frightened man before him and pondered for a few seconds. Then he added, “But since you admitted your mistake sincerely, I suppose I can give you a chance. Do as you said – testify when the time comes. My assistant will inform you of the details.”
“However, let me warn you – I don’t like trouble. You’d better not try anything else, or else…” Jing Li narrowed his eyes at Wu Fan. Although he didn’t finish his sentence, the danger that flashed in his eyes in that instant was like a sharp steel blade stabbing straight into one’s heart.
“I absolutely won’t dare.” Wu Fan hurriedly responded, afraid that the other party would change his mind. He kept making countless promises, just short of recording his words with his phone.
With that panicked look, he probably wouldn’t dare make trouble again, even if Wang Junwen was standing right in front of him.
Having intimidated him to this extent was already sufficient. Jing Li did not wish to say more to him and simply waved his hand to dismiss Wu Fan.
After the man left, the assistant finally spoke up indignantly, “These people are simply insane. Instead of focusing on acting properly, they’re always coveting these messy things. It’s because of them that the industry’s reputation is being ruined.”
“And that Wang Junwen – just because of that little unpleasantness at the banquet, he actually still wants to sabotage you behind your back. To think you were so sincere towards him before, he’s really scum!”
It wasn’t only because of that.
Jing Li raised an eyebrow slightly but didn’t say anything more.
Recalling the earlier phone call, he turned to his assistant and instructed, “Tell them to ignore the news on the internet for the time being and just pay attention to it.” Since someone was willing to buy hype for them for free, why not just let it be.
The assistant naturally understood this logic too. The indignation on his face was instantly replaced by a smile. Cheerfully responding in agreement, he went off to carry out the order.
This time, he would definitely have to severely teach those two dogs a lesson on second young master’s behalf to make sure they’d never dare to come out and make trouble again.
*
In the middle of the night, a Weibo post quietly appeared online.
GossipHoundV: Have ‘parachutes1“关系户” (guānxi hù) refers to individuals who rely on personal connections, networks, or relationships (known as “guanxi”) for personal gain, especially in professional or business settings. The closest term I could think of is parachute, as it captures the idea of someone being dropped into a position or opportunity thanks to their connections or influence rather than through merit. ’ become so bold these days? There’s absolutely no sense of professional ethics left!【pic & video attached】
The video showed a scene from the set. A group of people were surrounding a young man in white clothes, and another man in white clothes stood alone on one side. The two sides seemed to be arguing. The man surrounded by the crowd said something, prompting the lone man to immediately bow his head apologetically, looking rather fearful of the speaker.
Then, another middle-aged man suddenly walked out from the crowded side, pointing his finger and angrily reprimanding the apologizing young man. Not long after, the man in white who had spoken before waved his hand and called two people to forcibly drag the young man out of the frame.
There was no audio in the video, but anyone could sense the intensity of the dispute between the two parties. In addition, with nearly everyone standing behind the “bully” in white, it gave the impression that the lone man was being ganged up on.
Paired with the leading caption, it instantly provoked outrage from many viewers.
“WTF? This is blatant bullying! Are all people with backers so arrogant now?”
“What exactly did that little brother do wrong to deserve such humiliation?”
“He’s a big name even though his acting skills are bad. it’s people like him ruining the industry’s reputation!”
……
Countless netizens were furious at the scene presented in the video, especially when the apologizing young man was dragged away at the end. They grew increasingly irate, urging fellow netizens to expose the shameless bully relying on connections.
Eager to oblige, some sharp-eyed netizens soon spoke up, “Why do I feel like the one scolding looks a bit like that newcomer Jing Li? Check the video and compare for yourselves.”
This person then uploaded a video, which was footage of Jing Li’s set rescue that went viral earlier.
Many netizens clicked in to take a look, and it was true.
No matter the body shape or height, they were practically the same. Even the white costumes on their bodies were almost exactly the same.
With this important discovery, netizens with a strong sense of justice instantly became excited. They rushed to Jing Li’s Weibo and began spamming abuse. Some even went to Director Li Yi’s Weibo to curse.
“You actually dare to show your face with such virtue. Do you really think having backers make you invincible?”
“He pretends to heroically rescue people, but I bet it was just an act for show!”
“Director Li, how much did you get paid to betray your conscience and promote someone like him?”
“Jing Li, get out of the entertainment industry!”
…….
The night was when everyone’s guard was down and also when keyboard warriors were most active. With just a little push, such eye-catching topics could easily trend overnight with the help of the internet navy. The speed of ascension would only grow faster. Within just a few hours, it had climbed to the top spots on the hot search ranking.
As more people saw the video and joined in the discussion, countless were provoked to rage by the inflammatory rhetoric. They swarmed Jing Li and Director Li Yi’s Weibo pages to throw abuse.
Moreover, the suddenness of the Weibo post caught the targets completely off guard. Unable to respond in time, things spiraled out of control even faster.
For a time, the two’s pages were in complete chaos.
*
9 AM was when most people started their workday commute. Many would habitually open Weibo on their phones to pass time. Secretary Qin was one such person.
While on his way to the office that morning, he clicked open Weibo as usual to find some entertainment. But upon opening it, the top three trending headlines smacked him in the face.
#ParachutesBullyingActor# #ImmortalRoadInsideStory# #JingLiGetOutOfTheEntertainmentIndustry#
Seeing the third one especially gave him a tremendous shock. He quickly clicked in to take a look and was soon furious at the contents.
Although he had never met Jing Li before, based on the Jing family banquet last time and accompanying President Gu on set, he had already concluded that Jing Li was not as terrible as the rumors made him out to be.
What’s more, after seeing Jing Li’s superb acting skills, he had even been attracted to the other and secretly became his fan.
Now seeing such slanders against Jing Li online, he was immediately incensed and couldn’t help but jump in to argue with the antis. Many shared his sentiment, and Jing Li’s fans also rushed to defend him and clear his name.
However, Jing Li fans were the minority after all. With many internet navies mixed in, this group speaking up for him soon became the target of attacks. They were flamed to the point of being unable to fight back. The few fans couldn’t stand such criticism and quickly quit the battlefield, leaving the remaining people even more hard-pressed.
Secretary Qin was so angry his eyes turned red. Finding typing on mobile too slow, he switched to the computer and rolled up his sleeves to join the more intense debates.
This was the scene Gu Tingshen walked in on – his secretary with a twisted expression, madly pounding the keyboard. Seeing the man who had always remained calm even when the mountain collapsed suddenly showed such an expression, he was immediately startled. Thinking something difficult had come up, he asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Just a bunch of keyboard warriors! Slandering Jing Li without knowing anything, see if I don’t teach them a lesson…” Secretary Qin trailed off and looked up to see who it was. He quickly stood up and awkwardly called out, “President Gu.”
Gu Tingshen raised his brows in surprise. “Jing Li?”
He didn’t know when his secretary had gotten so close to Jing Li.
“Ahem, I just saw some people online spreading rumors about Jing…Er Shao, and couldn’t help but say a few words to defend him.”
Secretary Qin gave an embarrassed cough, recalling that his boss disliked employees bringing personal feelings into the workplace. He quickly collected himself, picked up the documents on his desk, and walked over with a serious expression to give a work report. “President Gu, these are the documents requiring your signature. I’ve notified everyone about the 10 AM meeting.”
Gu Tingshen looked at him steadily for a few seconds but ultimately didn’t say anything. He went over to his desk and sat down, picking up the documents to review.
Silence filled the office.
After a while, Gu Tingshen finished signing and put down his pen. As he did so, he casually commented, “I remember you didn’t used to like Jing Li very much.”
Facing the clear, teasing gaze, Secretary Qin’s face also grew hot. “…That was all in the past. Besides, back then, I hadn’t met Er Shao either, so my views on him were somewhat biased.”
As he spoke, he took a careful look at his boss, and seeing that he showed no resistance, he couldn’t help but speak up for Jing Li, “But after meeting Er Shao, I feel he is actually quite good – humble, polite, and very skilled in acting. Didn’t you also hear a lot of people praising him that day on set?”
“Maybe those rumors exaggerated things a lot!” Secretary Qin felt Jing Li was being treated very unfairly. “Although it’s true Er Shao did many wrong things because of Zhong Liangchen, doesn’t that just show how devoted he was in love? That Zhong clearly is no good. If not for him, how could Er Shao be tainted by such scandals?”
Gu Tingshen raised his brows again, truly not expecting his assessment of Jing Li to be so high.
He remembered this secretary of his had an infamous stubborn personality, never easily changing his opinions.
He still recalled how dismissive the other had been when mentioning Jing Li in the past, especially towards that Zhong Liangchen, whom he looked down on for causing such chaos within the family over a man, reducing themselves to such a low and abject state…
Yet after only meeting Jing Li twice, he had done a complete turnaround?
If he didn’t know for certain there was no private contact between them, he would suspect Jing Li had bought him off.
Thinking again of Jing Yu’s sudden change in attitude when talking about Jing Li recently, Gu Tingshen couldn’t help but frown slightly.
He felt the change in Jing Li’s reputation amongst those around him was a bit strange.
Just as Gu Tingshen was deep in thought, he heard Secretary Qin suddenly say, “President Gu, do you want to step in to help?”
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.
You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
