A Video

Early the next morning.

Shen Yan woke feeling refreshed. After getting ready, he hummed a tune as he went downstairs, only to find everyone already gathered on the first floor.

The moment he came down, everyone turned to look at him.

Xie Li's eyes were still slightly red. He had been sitting at the dining table, but he stood and took two steps toward Shen Yan. "Shen Yan, don't be too upset. I believe you're definitely not what they're saying online. They've gone too far. It hurts me to see you like this."

As Xie Li spoke, he glanced at Pei Heng not far away.

Pei Heng had his head lowered, looking at his phone.

Drawing back his gaze and biting his lip, Xie Li continued, "Don't panic. Once you get back, sort out exactly what happened and tell everyone the truth. I believe everyone feels the same way I do. We all trust you."

Shen Yan was utterly baffled by Xie Li's sudden barrage of comfort. "But... can someone tell me what happened?"

He looked at everyone with a blank expression.

Xie Li spoke before anyone else could. "Someone posted that video of you and an investor... doing that... online."

Shen Yan stared at Xie Li in disbelief. "Me and an investor doing what?"

Xie Li's cheeks immediately flushed red, and he looked as though he wanted to speak but couldn't.

Lu Xingchuan's face darkened as he looked at Shen Yan. "Don't you know what shameful things you've done? Why are you snapping at Xie Li? Your agent has already terminated your contract with the production team. As for the compensation, your agent will contact you later."

Lu Xingchuan looked at Shen Yan with the disgust one might show a filthy rag.

Shen Yan blankly pulled out his phone.

Damn it.

He had played Match-3 too enthusiastically before bed last night and drained the battery.

Putting his phone away, Shen Yan turned to Bai Jing. "Sister Bai Jing, can I borrow your phone? Mine's dead."

Bai Jing immediately took out her phone and handed it to Shen Yan.

In the middle of last night, a trending topic had suddenly appeared, followed by an overwhelming explosion of attention.

#Shen Yan Filthy#

The topic was sitting high at number one on the trending list.

He clicked into it.

There was a video.

In the video, Shen Yan's cheeks were flushed red as a greasy middle-aged man half-held, half-carried him out of an elevator and toward a hotel room.

Shen Yan's legs looked weak in the video, and he barely had the strength to walk. His entire body was practically leaning into the man's arms as he followed him into the room.

#Shen Yan Filthy# Does anyone really think Shen Yan got those resources through actual talent? Does anyone really think he can gain fans just because he acts crazy and throws tantrums on some dating reality show? I suggest you all find better things to support. Don't stan garbage, or you'll end up vomiting and shitting yourselves.

Shen Yan scrolled down through the comments.

As expected, they were all cursing him out.

After exiting the topic, he saw another one right beside it on Weibo's homepage: #Shen Yan, Quit#

At seven-thirty that morning, Shen Yan's agent had posted on Weibo: #Shen Yan Quit# Due to Shen Yan's personal reasons preventing him from continuing the recording, after discussion, Shen Yan has withdrawn from the production team.

Heh.

Shen Yan yanked out a dining chair and sat down in it with wide-legged swagger.

Bar ing his teeth, he looked at Lu Xingchuan. "Hehe, so that's what this is about. Now that you mention it, I do remember. But Movie Emperor Lu has so many important matters to attend to that he seems to have forgotten. Want me to help refresh your memory?"

Xie Li bit his lip. "Shen Yan, leaving at a time like this is actually for your own protection. The best thing is to handle this privately."

Shen Yan ignored Xie Li completely.

He only looked at Lu Xingchuan.

"First, this video isn't recent. It's from two years ago.

"Two years ago, Movie Emperor Lu wanted the male lead role in Fragrant Years, but the director had been considering someone else. To help you fight for that role, I attended no fewer than fifty, maybe even eighty, drinking parties with the producers and directing team.

"Now that Movie Emperor Lu has won the Best Actor honor in one stroke with Fragrant Years, you're gradually developing amnesia?

"The man in the video was a casting director for Fragrant Years. He didn't actually have much authority to decide who the male lead would be. I was just stupid enough to get drugged and brought there.

"Others might not know what happened, but don't you know, Movie Emperor Lu?

"The video only showed the part where I was taken into the hotel room. But the full version is this: after I entered the room, I recorded all the ugly ways that casting director tried to force himself on me. Then I took the chance to escape and used the recording to threaten him into helping you secure the role."

Xie Li looked at Lu Xingchuan in disbelief. "Brother Xingchuan, is what he said true?"

Lu Xingchuan's face stiffened unpleasantly. He held his neck rigid. "I don't know what you're talking about. What does the shameful thing you did have to do with me? What a joke. Since when did I need you to use such despicable methods to fight for a role? Don't throw mud at me just to clear your own name. Shen Yan, I advise you to know what's good for you and go back to cooperate properly with your agent."

Lu Xingchuan said the words "cooperate properly" through gritted teeth, with an obvious note of threat.

The entertainment company Shen Yan belonged to was under the Lu Group.

If he refused to cooperate, the consequences were obvious.

Shen Yan sneered.

The original owner had been such an idiot.

He had loved Lu Xingchuan so much that he lost himself.

He had been willing to do anything for Lu Xingchuan.

And what had he gotten in return?

Just look at Lu Xingchuan's ugly face now.

"It doesn't matter if you won't admit it. After all, you could publicly claim not to know me after borrowing several million from me. You're a repeat offender. I understand. Luckily, I have evidence. I'll post the complete video from back then now and let everyone have a laugh. I can't let someone else take all the advantage, can I? I shouldn't be the only one losing face."

After saying that, Shen Yan stood up, returned the phone to Bai Jing, and turned to look for a charging cable.

Panic surged into Lu Xingchuan's eyes.

That really was a video from two years ago.

That bastard Shen Yan had actually kept the video from something that happened two years ago?

Rage churned in Lu Xingchuan's chest. "Shen Yan, don't think people will believe you just because you splice together a video. No one is stupid."

Ever since the trending topic had appeared, Bai Jing had found it strange.

It was obvious Shen Yan had blocked someone's path, and someone was deliberately trying to ruin him. Otherwise, why would this kind of video surface now, when it hadn't appeared sooner or later, but precisely as Shen Yan's popularity was rising?

"Actually, two or three years ago, Shen Yan absolutely counted as one of the promising young actors in the industry. The resources he had access to back then really were very good. It's a pity his career didn't develop well afterward."

Bai Jing glanced at Pei Heng and suddenly raised her voice.

"Who knows what happened? His career plummeted, and he went from a popular young star to someone everyone wanted to condemn. If Shen Yan can explain things clearly this time, that would be for the best. He finally has another chance to become popular again."

Just as Lu Xingchuan was about to step forward, the villa's front door was pushed open.

Shen Yan's agent stormed in from outside, his face full of anger. "Shen Yan, what are you still dawdling for? Get out here and come with me. Let me tell you, you've caused such a huge mess this time. You must pay the full breach-of-contract penalty!"