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Ye Mingzhao's gaze lingered for a moment on Liu Rumei's sunglasses—or more precisely, on the corner of her eye hidden behind them—before he sat down and got straight to the point. "A paparazzo was following us when we came over."

For that instant, Liu Rumei stopped breathing.

Ye Mingzhao looked coldly at the restless Liu Rumei and said in a low voice, "There's no turning back once the bowstring is drawn. Since you chose to work with me, you should have been prepared for this. I don't like people who waver."

Liu Rumei took a deep breath, then suddenly raised a hand and removed her sunglasses.

Yu Mingze cried out in alarm. A large bruise had appeared at the corner of Liu Rumei's left eye.

"How could this..."

Yu Mingze stared in disbelief. Liu Rumei was a top-tier actress, a popular star who wanted to be in front of the media every second of every day. Who would dare do something like this to her?

Liu Rumei blinked her frighteningly red and swollen eyelids. "I can help you get the evidence against Zhou Film and Television Company that you want most, Mr. Ye, but you have to help me too..."

Liu Rumei paused slightly, seeming to find it difficult to speak, but she still gritted her teeth and said, "Help me obtain the negatives of the nude photos taken when I was drugged unconscious."

The moment she said those words, a crystal-clear tear slid down from the bruised corner of Liu Rumei's eye.

The original novel that had appeared in Ye Mingzhao's mind out of nowhere unfolded from the perspective of its male lead, Chu Hengyi. Most of the book's plot therefore revolved around Chu Hengyi himself, but through scattered remarks made in passing by various characters, Ye Mingzhao had pieced together many side stories.

Liu Rumei's ordeal was one of them.

There had been a brief segment in the book about Chu Qingyi deciding to officially enter the entertainment industry as an actor after filming Beggar Prince. However, in order to avoid suspicion, he had not mentioned his personal friendship with Zhou Yueze when signing with Zhou Film and Television Company. As a result, after joining the company, his manager arranged for him to accompany clients over drinks.

This plotline mainly served as a setup for the development of Chu Qingyi and Zhou Yueze's relationship. Zhou Yueze, who happened to be entertaining business partners at the same hotel, accidentally discovered Chu Qingyi being force-fed alcohol at the dinner. He barged in and took Chu Qingyi away, then openly declared before all the investors, directors, and producers that "Chu Qingyi is my friend," warning everyone else not to set their sights on him again.

After sobering up, Chu Qingyi spent half a chapter swooning over Zhou Yueze's domineering CEO boyfriend charm, only to feel a pang of sorrow afterward. The thought that someone as wonderful as Zhou Yueze already had a fiancé left Chu Qingyi unable to control himself. While rationally warning himself not to get too close to Zhou Yueze, he could not stop himself from sinking deeper.

Since it was only a supporting character's romance arc, this plotline did not take up much space in the novel.

The reason Ye Mingzhao had noticed this segment was because it reminded him of a rumor that had long circulated outside the book—supposedly, Zhou Group often organized dinner parties to win over business partners, making the celebrities and artists under Zhou Film and Television Company serve as companions.

According to Zhou Yueze, these were all consensual transactions.

There would always be people willing to degrade themselves for shortcuts, and Zhou Film and Television Company would provide such artists with connections and resources.

"This world isn't simply black and white. I know you may look down on people like that, but I think there's nothing wrong with using one's own advantages to fight for better opportunities." Zhou Yueze gazed deeply at Chu Qingyi. "Of course, I also know you aren't that kind of person."

In the original novel, Zhou Film and Television Company had also been attacked by competitors for pimping out its artists.

Liu Rumei's name had appeared in the original novel under such circumstances.

In just a few hundred words, the original novel explained that the popular young actress Liu Rumei had committed suicide by swallowing sleeping pills, posting online before her death the full account of how she had been drugged unconscious, photographed nude, and blackmailed.

The person who drugged Liu Rumei and took those photos was a shareholder and investor of Zhou Film and Television Company. The news directly exposed the massive scandal of Zhou Film and Television Company frequently "introducing resources" to its artists. Since the matter implicated Zhou Group's senior executives, shareholders, and directors, Zhou Group's image was also severely affected.

When Ye Mingzhao saw that investor and Liu Rumei at Zhou Yueze's celebration party, he recalled that plotline.

Although the original novel had not specified when Liu Rumei had been set up, Ye Mingzhao had still made some preparations out of caution.

He had deliberately invited Liu Rumei for coffee after the celebration party. On one hand, he wanted to use Liu Rumei to divert Zhou Yueze's attention, making Zhou Yueze think he intended to make a move through Liu Rumei and strike at the The Prince's Transformation crew, thereby lulling Zhou Yueze into lowering his guard. On the other hand, he wanted to warn Zhou Yueze that he had indeed set his sights on Liu Rumei. If Zhou Film and Television Company had any shady business going on, they had better not target Liu Rumei.

Ye Mingzhao had no kinship, grudge, or personal connection with Liu Rumei. Aside from using her as a smokescreen to cover the trap Chu Hengyi had planted in the The Prince's Transformation crew, he genuinely sympathized with what this woman had suffered in the original novel.

But he had not expected that the tacit understanding between smart people might not work on fools.

That investor, whose mind was full of filth, had ultimately failed to restrain himself and made a move against Liu Rumei.

Ye Mingzhao had also been shocked when he received Liu Rumei's message.

It really had been a long time since he'd dealt with someone that stupid.

"I'm very sorry for what happened to you." Ye Mingzhao paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the bruise on Liu Rumei's face. "But I hope you can treat it as though you were bitten by a stray dog."

"If a dog bites you, you just need to get a rabies shot in time. Don't ever give up your life because of one stray dog."

Liu Rumei froze at his words and stared blankly at Ye Mingzhao. After a long while, she finally burst into tears.

"That bastard Zhou Yueze!"

After leaving the hotel, Yu Mingze was still seething. "I'd heard rumors that Zhou Film and Television Company pimped out its artists, but I never thought the people in that company would be so outrageously bold. Liu Rumei is a top-tier actress, not some unknown rookie with no background or influence. How did they dare?"

Wasn't it supposed to be consensual? Wasn't it supposed to be an exchange of benefits? Since so many people were willing to play this game of unspoken rules with them, why did they have to force those who were unwilling?

Yu Mingze suddenly felt that this industry was filthy to the core.

Thinking of those investors and rich second-generation heirs at the celebration banquet who kept saying, "Actors are just things for people's amusement," Ye Mingzhao remained silent.

Brainless beasts always liked to use money to turn others into objects. Yet they did not realize that the moment they objectified others, they themselves lost the right to be human.

They would become fertilizer, pigs, sheep—until one day, they were devoured completely.

The more Yu Mingze thought about it, the more stifled he felt. He pressed the accelerator down to the highest speed permitted by the limit.

The black Phaeton became a streak of lightning in the night. Ye Mingzhao, seated in the passenger seat, opened the window and let the biting winter wind howl past him.

His phone buzzed with a notification. It was a message from Liu Rumei.

[Thank you for warning me before.]

In the empty private room, Liu Rumei, still wearing sunglasses, silently wept as she looked out at the night. Her phone screen flickered between light and dark. An unsaved text message lay among the promotional messages.

[I heard Zhou Film and Television Company doesn't play by the rules. If you can get evidence, you can work with me.]

At the time, Liu Rumei had thought Ye Mingzhao wanted to use her to deal with Zhou Film and Television Company. She had never imagined that Ye Mingzhao, a complete stranger, had been subtly warning her.

In the end, she had been too overconfident. She had thought that after spending several years in the industry and accumulating some experience, she could remain uninvolved in certain matters.

She had not known that, in many people's eyes, an actor was still an actor, no matter how famous they had become.

Inside the dark, enclosed car, Ye Mingzhao lowered his head and looked at the message in the chat window.