"I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep it confidential." Gu Jia stood up with a smile. "When a public figure gets caught up in a scandal like this, the news spreads fast. A bunch of reporters showed up first thing this morning and blocked the station entrance. I won't keep you any longer. I'd better head back and take care of this."
"Thanks for all your hard work, Captain Gu. I'll see you out." Ye Chen hurried to his feet.
Gu Jia smiled. "No need. If some troublemaker gives you a hard time in the future, just give me a call. I still have some pull in Magic City."
"Will do. Thank you, Captain Gu," Ye Chen said gratefully.
Once Gu Jia had left,
Ye Chen quickly stuffed the banner into a cabinet and hid it. He couldn't let Su Ningwei see it.
Otherwise, Su Ningwei would start imagining things, and she shouldn't have too much to worry about while she was recovering after childbirth.
Fortunately, Su Ningwei spent most of her time on the second floor while she was recovering, so she probably wouldn't find it.
With all the fruit Gu Jia had brought, there was no need to buy any for the next couple of days.
After receiving Li Juan's transfer, Ye Chen could only smile helplessly.
Fine. I'll accept it for now so Li Juan won't worry. I'll transfer another two hundred thousand yuan back to her in a couple of days.
That afternoon.
The news about Gao Zuo soliciting prostitutes was fully exposed online.
It sent shockwaves across the internet, and his public image collapsed completely.
Quite a few victims bravely came forward to testify about Gao Zuo's crimes.
Faced with the indisputable facts,
even his die-hard fans, who had been making excuses for him, were left red-faced. He had crossed their bottom line, and they began dropping their support for him and cursing him instead.
One after another, scandals involving Gao Zuo were dug up.
The Gao family's business also plummeted, and after some concerned netizens anonymously reported them for tax evasion, the authorities launched an investigation.
Between Gao Zuo's solicitation of prostitutes and his false accusations against Ye Chen, he made it to number four on the trending searches for the first time in his life—and got torn to shreds by angry commenters.
The top three, of course, were all positive reports about Ye Chen.
Trending number one: The Magic City Public Security Bureau reposted the debunking video and praised Ye Chen by name for his brave actions.
Trending number two: The full video of Ye Chen's livestream.
Trending number three: Who exactly are Ye Chen's wife and children?
Ye Chen was quite pleased with the outcome and settled down to take care of his wife and children.
Whenever he had time,
he wrote new songs;
he tinkered with musical instruments;
he picked out food and supplies for the babies, looked for suitable testing agencies, and searched for the right people to work in that field.
His days were fulfilling and happy.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Gao Zuo was found guilty of soliciting prostitutes, organizing group debauchery, rape, and several other crimes. With the sentences combined, he was sentenced to sixteen years in prison. He was behind bars now, working a sewing machine.
After registering the copyright for "A Man Should Be Self-Reliant," Ye Chen recorded a video and sent it to Ke An. He planned to release it together with the other three songs.
It was Friday.
He had just gotten ready to eat dinner
when Ye Chen received a call from Ye Yao.
"Bro, I'm already at the high-speed rail station waiting for my train. I should get to Magic City around eight thirty," Ye Yao said excitedly over the phone.
Ye Chen tilted his head to hold the phone against his shoulder as he served Su Ningwei some food. "All right, I'll pick you up at the station. Have you had dinner? It's pretty late to be taking the train."
"I'll just grab a cup of instant noodles in a bit. You don't have to come get me. Which neighborhood do you live in? I can take a taxi." Ye Yao knew Ye Chen had to look after Su Ningwei and the three babies, so she didn't want to give him extra trouble. She had come to help, after all.
Ye Chen replied, "It's not safe for a young woman to travel alone at night. The babies will be asleep by eight thirty, so it won't interfere with me picking you up."
"All right, then. The train's pulling in. I'll hang up for now. We can talk when I see you." Ye Yao ended the call and headed into the station with her bags.
At eight twenty that evening,
Ye Chen had already driven to the high-speed rail station.
After parking,
Ye Chen put on a hat and a mask and waited by the exit.
He waited for about ten minutes.
Then he spotted a tall, beautiful figure in the crowd, standing out wherever she went.
It was Ye Yao.
There was no denying the Ye family had good genes.
Ye Yao had fair skin, bright eyes, and a dazzling smile. Her glossy black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore a denim overall dress with white sneakers. She stood tall and graceful.
A youthful, lively energy radiated from her.
Ye Chen waved at her. "Yao Yao, over here!"
"Bro!" Ye Yao's eyes crinkled with delight. She pulled her suitcase with one hand and carried a pile of bags in the other as she hurried happily toward him.
Seeing her loaded down with bags, Ye Chen hurried over to take them and her suitcase.
"Why did you bring so much stuff?" Ye Chen asked.
Ye Yao smiled. "Of course they're presents for my sister-in-law and the three babies! Come on, let's go. I can't wait anymore."
Ye Chen led Ye Yao to the car.
"Wow, Bro, this car is so cool! It must have cost a fortune, right?" Ye Yao said excitedly, running her hand over the leather seat. "This is my first time in such an expensive car. Did you really become a big star and get rich?"
"I wouldn't call myself a big star yet, but from now on, we really won't have to worry about money. When you graduate, I'll buy you a car too. Just focus on school and your art. Paint what you want to paint, and don't worry about money," Ye Chen replied with a smile.
Ye Yao had always been sweet and sensible. When they were kids and got pocket money, she would give half of hers to Ye Chen so they could spend it together.
Their family's circumstances had put Ye Yao through plenty of hardship over the years.
Now that Ye Chen had money, of course he was going to spoil his little sister.
Ye Yao's eyes lit up. "Bro, you're way too good to me. You're the best brother in the whole world—the very best!"
"Enough with the flattery. Buy that computer and drawing tablet set you've been wanting, and I'll reimburse you." Ye Chen happily pressed the accelerator and drove toward home.
Perhaps that was the best part of making money: being able to buy whatever you wanted.
The car passed through the brightly lit streets
and entered the Tomson Supreme residential complex.
"Wow, no wonder my sister-in-law is a celebrity. She actually bought a place in Tomson Supreme! I've never even been inside a complex like this before." Ye Yao looked around in astonishment.
Then Ye Yao tugged at her inexpensive jeans and asked anxiously, "Bro, will my sister-in-law think I'm dressed too shabbily? Am I going to embarrass you?"
Tomson Supreme was one of the best residential complexes in the country, and it was right in the heart of Magic City.
"No, your sister-in-law isn't like that. Besides, I'm the one who bought the place. But now that we have money, you can buy whatever clothes you like. You don't have to dress so shabbily," Ye Chen replied.
Schools specializing in the arts were full of people who looked down on the poor, and even the teachers were no exception.
Ye Chen certainly didn't want his own sister, Ye Yao, to be treated unfairly.
"You bought the place? Bro, you're seriously rich now!" Ye Yao exclaimed, stunned all over again.
Sure enough, people with real talent could make good money in any line of work.
Ye Chen smiled. "It's not that much, but it's enough to make sure our whole family never has to worry about food or clothes. Next time we go back, I'll buy a villa in Mountain City for Mom and Dad to retire in."
"Wow, Bro, you're amazing." Ye Yao gazed at Ye Chen with admiration.