Jing Li’s Weibo did not particularly post anything but simply reposted a Weibo from Wang Lele.
Jing Li V: Congratulations on wrapping up, want to grab a meal when you’re back? //Wang Lele: Finally wrapped up…
If this Weibo were posted at any other time, it would not have been worth noticing. However, it happened after Qian Jianan had @ him.
He was indifferent to Qian Jianan’s mention, but he suddenly reposted someone else’s Weibo a few hours later.
How was this different from directly denying being friends with him?
Qian Jianan hardly needed to think hard to guess how the netizens waiting for the show would react.
Sure enough, as soon as Jing Li’s Weibo was posted, countless netizens rushed over, immediately beginning to mock and jeer at him.
“Hahahahaha, congratulations to Lele on wrapping up!”
“Jing Shao and Lele really have such a deep friendship! Unlike some people!!!”
“So Qian Jianan is only a ‘good friend’ from his side?”
“I just want to know, does Qian Jianan’s face hurt after seeing this Weibo?!”
“Jing Shao: Sorry, we’re not familiar, don’t call!”
“@Qian Jianan, come quick, your ‘good friend’ posted a Weibo!”
“The sister upstairs is really too much, I love it!!”
…
Just as the netizens were actively making a fuss, Wang Lele reposted and replied on the other end.
Wang Lele V: Sure, I’m still thinking about what you said about having a barbecue at your house! //Jing Li: Congratulations on wrapping up, want to grab a meal when you’re back? //Wang Lele: Finally…
This time, Jing Li did not repost but directly commented under his Weibo: [Okay, I’ll arrange it.]
With this back-and-forth between the two, the surrounding fans instantly became even more frenzied.
“Ahhh, barbecue!! I also want to go to Jing Shao’s house for a barbecue!!”
“Looks like Lele and Jing Shao really do have a good relationship! Even invited to his home for a barbecue!”
“Okay, basically confirmed that Jing Shao’s late-night topic will be barbecue this time!”
“Some people’s faces must be swollen from being slapped.”
“See that, some people? This is how real friends act.”
“Hahahahaha, so Mr. Jing is using facts to respond who his true friend is!”
……
Watching the endless interaction between the two on Weibo and seeing the increasing number of people gloating in the comments, Qian Jianan’s expression instantly twisted for a moment.
However, faced with Jing Li’s blatant indifference, he could do nothing but endure it. In the end, he could only vent his anger by angrily sweeping things off the table in a fit of impotent rage.
The assistant standing beside him also had a look of despair. At this rate, the Qian family might really be finished this time.
However, the matter was far from over.
Just as the online opinion was making a huge fuss, a long Weibo post claiming to be from a former Xingyao employee suddenly caught the attention of the general netizens.
Darkness Without End1暗无天日 (àn wú tiān rì) – all black, no daylight (idiom); a world without justice V: I didn’t want to reveal this initially, but seeing how some people not only show no remorse for their evil deeds but are becoming even more unscrupulous, I finally realized that demons will always be demons, forever incapable of having a conscience.
……
In this former Xingyao employee’s Weibo post, they not only criticized Qian Jianan’s despicable character but also exposed multiple evil acts he had committed.
The poster claimed that during their time at Xingyao, they were assigned as a daily assistant to a newly signed female artist for a period.
It was during this time that they truly witnessed the darkness within the company.
They were in charge of a female artist who was exceptionally beautiful. By chance, she caught Qian Jianan’s eye, but after being rejected by the artist several times, he finally became enraged. During a subsequent dinner with investors, he deliberately had someone get the female artist drunk and subjected her to rape.
That was not all. After he had his way, he then handed her over to two other investors at the table and let them play as they pleased.
Finally, after enduring severe mental trauma, the female artist, unable to accept reality, jumped off the hotel building two days later and died on the spot.
However, due to lack of concrete evidence, the public attributed the female artist’s accident to an accidental fall.
This explosive revelation, coupled with Qian Jianan already being at the center of public scrutiny, instantly gained massive attention after being posted. With someone giving it a push from behind, it was immediately topped as one of the top three hot searches.
However, when netizens clicked on the post to read the content, they were instantly shocked, even feeling a chill down their spines.
“Holy sh*t?! If this Weibo’s revelation is true, then Qian Jianan is way too terrifying?!”
“I went and checked. There really was news a few years ago about a Xingyao female artist named xxx accidentally falling to her death from a hotel. It’s absolutely chilling to think about!”
“So not only is Qian Jianan’s character garbage, he’s also lost even the most basic human morals?!”
“This is already criminal, right?!”
……
And this Weibo post was just the beginning.
More people came forward in quick succession, accusing Qian Jianan of being a truly despicable scumbag.
Relying on Xingyao’s backing, Qian Jianan acted without any restraint.
He naturally exploited the company’s famous and capable veterans to pave the way for him, suppressing and even shelving artists he disliked… If anyone slightly offended him, he would lash out with appalling behavior like kicking and cursing at them.
Such incidents were countless, occurring almost daily within the company.
But because Xingyao was his family’s company, everything was tightly covered up, and not a single bit of news was revealed outside.
Among these whistleblowers were former Xingyao employees, artists who suffered unequal treatment, fans of shelved celebrities, Xingyao’s rivals, and even some rich second-generation who claimed to be Qian Jianan’s rich friends…
These revelations were ultimately detonated when Xingyao’s current top actress, Xiao Lin, accidentally liked the posts.
“Oh my god! I remember Xiao Lin is signed with Xingyao? Even their top actress is liking these posts, showing just how rotten Xingyao has become!”
“Ah! Suddenly thought of the recent hit ‘Xianxia Romance. Honestly, if not for Xiao Lin and Wen Ting carrying it, Qian Jianan’s awful performance would have tanked it long ago!”
“So these revelations are actually true? Xingyao and Qian Jianan are terrifying!”
“Fortunately, our Jing Shao is a rich second-generation, or he would have really been messed with this time!”
“After reading these, I suddenly recall that many formerly popular Xingyao artists just vanished without a trace?”
“Oh right, I remember Wang Lele used to be signed with Xingyao too? Then, the contract was terminated, and he signed with the current company. Could it be Qian Jianan was jealous of his good relationship with Jing Li and wanted to target him?”
“The comment above makes sense. I was wondering why Jing Li, a newcomer with no prior contact, would be targeted like that.”
“Qian Jianan, you’re a vermin in the entertainment industry! Get lost and stop disgusting us!”
“@xx police, uncle police, come quick, there’s a bad person here!!”
……
With this, Qian Jianan was completely exposed, dragging the rotten stench of Xingyao along with him.
Seeing the sudden shift in online sentiment, Qian Jianan’s face drained of all color.
He never imagined his misdeeds would come to light so thoroughly at this moment.
Just then, his assistant’s phone rang. It was Director Yu, whom they had recently signed when they had snatched the lead role of ‘The Last Remnant’ from Jing Li.
Seeing the caller ID, the assistant’s expression changed, and Qian Jianan was even more shaken.
They were all too aware of the means they had used to secure the role, so they didn’t need to guess the purpose of this call.
The contract had a clear clause – if the artist generated extremely negative publicity during filming, the production had the right to unilaterally terminate the contract, and the artist would have to pay three times the breach penalty.
Sure enough, as soon as the call connected, the other party firmly expressed their intent to terminate immediately and demanded they pay the contractual breach penalty.
The entertainment industry has always been a cruel place of kicking down those below while flattering those above. He may have used his power to suppress others temporarily, but when he falls, he will naturally face the backlash of that power.
But that was not all. After being unilaterally dropped from ‘The Last Remnant’, the various commercial endorsements, advertisements, and other collaborations he had secured also called one by one, firmly announcing termination and demanding hefty breach penalties.
Within just a few hours, he was saddled with enormous breach fees.
In the past, he would have scoffed at this, but now the Qian family was already battered, struggling even to maintain normal company operations, let alone pay such penalties.
Qian Jianan felt utterly crushed.
But what crushed him even more came after the director’s call when Jing Li updated a Weibo post.
Jing Li V: It’s mine again! [Image]
The image showed the cover of a script, without revealing the title, but Qian Jianan, who had seen the script before, immediately recognized it as ‘The Last Remnant’.
Recalling he had just received the termination call, while Jing Li flaunted the script right after, the implication was obvious.
Jing Li’s seemingly innocent Weibo further cemented Qian Jianan’s label of malicious suppression and retaliation, instantly stirring up another frenzy in the comments.
“Looking forward to Jing Shao’s new drama!!!”
“Feel bad for my Jing Shao, I’ll give you a hug!”
“Qian Jianan, just go die!!!”
“Again??? So it was snatched from him by Qian Jianan before?!!”
“F**k! How dare Qian Jianan claim to be friends with Jing Li? Shameless!”
……
Seemingly not satisfied with cursing on Jing Li’s Weibo, the netizens then flooded into Qian Jianan’s, unleashing a new round of comment massacring.
Watching the endless stream of insults on his Weibo, Qian Jianan finally could no longer endure, shaking uncontrollably.
With this momentum, it seemed the Jing Group was determined to utterly destroy him!
Qian Jianan grew more and more afraid, finally descending into complete panic.
He hurriedly took out his phone, hands trembling as he called his father, mumbling incoherent self-reassurances: “No, it can’t be, Dad must have a way…”
However, the phone rang for dozens of seconds until it disconnected, with no answer on the other end.
After several more unanswered calls, Qian Jianan lost his last shred of strength, collapsing weakly into his seat.
However, what he didn’t know was that the Qian family, which had already been hit by the Jing Group and was already on the verge of collapse, was even worse because of the crazy surge of online public opinion.
His father was too overwhelmed by the massive mess in the company to even have time or energy to answer his calls.
In just a few days, his previously jet-black hair had turned largely gray, his haggard appearance aging him instantly by over a decade.
“Mr. Qian, perhaps you should rest for a bit,” the secretary said with some compassion upon entering with files and seeing his state.
“Rest? You want me to rest while you solve all these problems?” Mr. Qian suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a fierce glint.
The secretary flinched at his gaze and quickly fell silent.
How could he forget that this father and son were vicious wolves? Even if this wolf appeared pitiful and old on the outside, his core still radiated the ruthlessness ingrained in predators.
Qian Youwei glared fiercely at the secretary as if venting all his pent-up venom, but seeing the meek subordinate lowering his head, he quickly lost interest. Waving impatiently, he signaled for the work report to begin.
“Here are the termination contracts from previous partners, all processed and just needing your signature.” The secretary glanced nervously before gingerly placing the files on the desk and continuing rapidly, “The new partners we just contacted also called to refuse cooperation…”
“Over thirty employees from HR have submitted resignations…”
“And the PR department just reported that the matter with the young master targeting Jing Li has hit Weibo hot search, and the young master’s past misdeeds have also been exposed…”
…
The secretary listed the company’s current circumstances one by one, each like a death toll making Mr. Qian’s breathing grow heavier.
Finally, upon hearing his son’s past being dredged up, he could no longer bear it. He abruptly stood, slamming the desk as he roared, “It was just targeting him a bit in a game! He didn’t have to keep hounding Jianan! Bunch of animals…”
However, before finishing, he suddenly blacked out, collapsing backward.
The terrified secretary rushed to support him. “M-Mr. Qian, are you okay?”
Mr. Qian looked up weakly, glancing at the incessantly ringing phones outside before finally succumbing and passing out completely.
As consciousness faded, he wearily wondered if he had truly made mistakes over the years.
If he hadn’t indulged his son, would they and the Qian family have avoided provoking the Jing Group and this disastrous outcome?
However, the thought only lingered briefly before he hardened his heart again without an ounce of regret.
No, this world has always been the strong preying on the weak.
The only mistake was that the Qians’ power was still not great enough.
*
Under such overwhelming assault online, Xingyao and the Qian family naturally could not last long.
The next day, news broke that Xingyao was under investigation by relevant authorities for suspected tax evasion, illegal operations, and other crimes, with photos of Mr. Qian Youwei and other executives being taken away by police.
Due to the extremely negative impact of Qian Jianan’s exposed misdeeds, related personnel were also summoned for questioning. Soon after, the public security website announced Qian Jianan would be prosecuted for crimes including rape.
The explosive news instantly sparked an uproar among netizens, followed by an avalanche of insults and condemnations directed at Qian Jianan and the entire Xingyao.
“Even the police are involved. Turns out the Qian father and son are a bunch of scumbags! I hope you rot in prison!”
“Isn’t this absolutely gratifying? Am I right?”
“In my opinion, these societal parasites should have been eliminated long ago!”
“Xingyao has finally fallen! I pray the artists who were previously suppressed can make a comeback!”
“I suggest thoroughly investigating that scumbag Qian Jianan! He must have committed countless crimes!!”
……
With the downfall of Xingyao’s principals, numerous contracted celebrities at Xingyao came forward, claiming they had endured enough exploitation and vowed to terminate their contracts, even if they lost all their money.
Although belated, these statements fueled netizens’ fury towards Xingyao, garnering understanding and support, especially from celebrity fans who angrily endorsed their idols’ decisions and even spontaneously started fundraising campaigns to facilitate their contract terminations.
Faced with the avalanche of statements from Xingyao’s artists, rival entertainment companies swiftly issued official announcements, declaring their willingness to cover termination fees for anyone seeking to terminate their contracts.
This strategic move not only bolstered the companies’ reputations but also completely undermined Xingyao’s years of operations.
As the saying goes, when a wall is about to collapse, everybody gives it a shove2墙倒众人推 (qiáng dǎo zhòng rén tuī) – lit. when a wall is about to collapse, everybody gives it a shove (idiom) / fig. everybody hits a man who is down. Under the combined internal and external onslaught, Xingyao rapidly crumbled, and the once-mighty entertainment giant fell silently.
However, not a single person mourned its demise; instead, countless celebrated its downfall:
Finally, a major cancer in the entertainment industry has been removed!
*
Amidst the online chaos, Jing Li remained largely undisturbed. After posting on Weibo, he continued instructing the household staff on preparing the courtyard for the promised barbecue.
His earlier interaction with Wang Lele about hosting a barbecue at home was not just for fun. He was genuinely determined to thoroughly enjoy himself.
With a new drama project looming, this might be his last chance to spend quality time with family and friends before work consumed him again, making it a cherished occasion.
His brother, Jing Yu, wholeheartedly supported Jing Li’s plans and even completed his work early to free up an entire day, eagerly assisting his brother with the barbecue preparations from early morning.
Although somewhat exasperated by his brother’s enthusiasm, Jing Li accepted his help, delegating tasks that didn’t require culinary skills.
As the brothers busied themselves in the courtyard, a deep male voice suddenly rang out from behind: “Did I arrive too early?”
Jing Li turned, startled, to see Gu Tingshen standing nearby, hands in his pockets, leisurely smiling at him.
The author has something to say:
Jing Li (with an expression of disdain): Why are you here again?!
Gu Tingshen: ……
Gu Tingshen: …To mooch food?
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