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As an artifact spirit barely over three hundred years old, it had already tried its best to answer like an adult.

There shouldn't be any problem, right?

It had searched through countless answer templates. They were all like this.

Cai Jinbai glanced over and said calmly, "No problem. That was a very correct answer."

"Hehe." Cai Jinbao was relieved.

But then Cai Jinbao bounced hard and said, "Master, paid posters are smearing Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong."

Cai Jinbai smiled. "Looks like they finally couldn't hold back any longer. It's time to strike back."

Now that Xu Yuqing had signed with his company, how could Cai Jinbai possibly not find a way to clear away those fabricated stains on his name?

That included Director Chen Chengrong. Cai Jinbai would now lay out every truth that had previously been suppressed, crystal clear.

Chapter 15

The haters had not paid much attention to Xu Yuqing in the first place. After all, he had left Star Universe Entertainment. Whether he went independent or found another company, how much better could things possibly get for him?

He had been shelved for three years without filming anything. The market had probably forgotten him long ago.

Besides, the entertainment industry changed so quickly. Everyone was stanning young new idols and actors. How many people would still remember him?

So when they learned that Xu Yuqing's new company was called Jinbai Entertainment, the haters deliberately searched for it online, only to find absolutely no information.

They decided Jinbai Entertainment had to be some tiny, rundown company registered on a whim. They mocked him freely and even bet on whether Xu Yuqing would be squeezed dry while stubbornly clinging to the entertainment industry or forced into retirement.

But who could have expected such a sudden turn? Jinbai Entertainment was actually like this? How could it possibly be like this?!

Leaving aside the looks and bearing of the two presidents, that entire office building in the center of the New Urban District practically shone with two words—"money"!

Who dared say the New Urban District's landmark was worthless? Who dared say Cai Jinbai did not have a powerful background?

If his background were not powerful, could he have secured a landmark in the center of the New Urban District?

If he could buy an entire building, how could he not have other resources at hand?

As long as Cai Jinbai wanted them, plenty of resources would be delivered right into his hands for his use—or for the use of actors under his company, such as Xu Yuqing.

Looking at it this way, Xu Yuqing would not only avoid sinking to rock bottom, he might even soar straight into the sky. It was nothing like what the haters had imagined.

Damn it, this was too infuriating.

The haters simply could not stand seeing Xu Yuqing's fans acting so smug and triumphant.

But they had nothing to say, which made them feel even more stifled.

Then, at that moment, a large amount of dirt on Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong surfaced.

Old matters were brought up again, old stories retold.

Quite a few marketing accounts also jumped into the fray. Some directly lashed out, claiming Xu Yuqing had serious character problems and that an actor like him was not worth supporting no matter how good his acting was. They also said Jinbai Entertainment, which had signed Xu Yuqing, could not possibly be any good if it only picked up trash that Star Universe Entertainment did not want.

Others appeared to praise him while actually hiding mockery between the lines. They sarcastically targeted Jinbai Entertainment and Xu Yuqing, saying that rich people might look glamorous on the surface, but who knew what they were really like behind closed doors? Xu Yuqing was the same. He was good-looking, sure, and setting everything else aside, Jinbai Entertainment's president had signed him just for his face.

—It sounded like praise, but it was actually an insinuation about the misconduct of capital, sex-for-power deals, and the like.

Don't be fooled by how handsome those two presidents were. They were still capitalists. And capital was never clean.

What was more, the way the two got along made people sick and uncomfortable.

They were two grown men, yet they acted so clingy with each other.

If their sexual orientations really were questionable, then it would not be strange for them to be interested in Xu Yuqing. No wonder they had signed him.

Chen Chengrong's matter was naturally mentioned as well.

For a time, there was less praise online, replaced by overwhelming open mockery and veiled sarcasm.

Cai Jinbai browsed through those malicious comments without any change in expression.

Xuan Yu sat beside Cai Jinbai with a plate of sliced watermelon. He casually glanced at the information Cai Jinbai was reading, then looked away without interest. Seeing that Jinbai had no free hand to eat the watermelon himself for the moment, he picked up a piece with a fork and held it to his mouth.

Without even shifting his gaze, Cai Jinbai opened his mouth and ate the watermelon. Its abundant juice instantly filled his mouth. "Pretty sweet."

Xuan Yu ate a piece as well and nodded. "It really isn't bad."

"When do we strike back?" he asked, feeding Cai Jinbai another bite of watermelon.

"Wait a little longer. This wave of smears hasn't reached its peak yet," Cai Jinbai said.

The other side still wanted to thoroughly suppress Xu Yuqing. They had probably seen that Xu Yuqing was about to rise again and could not tolerate it, so they dragged Chen Chengrong into the mud as well.

But this was exactly the effect Cai Jinbai wanted. He even added fuel to the flames behind the scenes, making the "dirt" trend climb the hot search rankings even faster.

If they did not first draw out this fabricated dirt and spark widespread discussion so more people saw and learned about it, then even if the truth was revealed afterward, the impact would only be limited. It would not help Xu Yuqing and Chen Chengrong much.

Chen Chengrong could be set aside for now. He was a director who worked behind the scenes, did not need to appear on camera, and had even less need for a huge fanbase. He only needed to direct excellent, entertaining films. People would still buy tickets to watch them in theaters, and some would not even care who the director was.

But Xu Yuqing was different. For any artist, the stain of "drug use" was the most fatal one. Even if they were merely implicated, once even a trace of it touched them, it was like a permanent stain that could never be washed away. It would make them an easier target afterward and cost them many opportunities and resources.

Since he had never done it, why not clear his name completely?

Cai Jinbai did not want this stain to obstruct or affect Xu Yuqing's acting career, nor did he want the true culprits to remain untouched.

From Xu Yuqing announcing his contract termination, to the buzz caused by videos and photos of Cai Jinbai and Xuan Yu, to the exposure of Jinbai Entertainment's office building—the two became linked, the heat rose even higher, and the discussion spread further. Finally, the paid posters and dirt appeared, and marketing accounts poured in. It was time to reel in the net.

"Jinbao, you can release the truth now."

Cai Jinbao had been circling the watermelon plate. Upon hearing that, it immediately darted back. "Yes, Master!"

While Xu Yuqing's fans, haters, and paid posters were locked in chaotic battle online and bystanders watched the drama unfold, a Weibo post suddenly appeared and swiftly seized the hot search rankings. Its title was—[#Xu Yuqing Was Truly Wronged, the Most Miserable Actor in History#]

The bystanders initially thought Xu Yuqing's fans had stirred up something else again. But after clicking in, they found that there seemed to be some different inside story.

It was a long post published by a blogger called "People Can't Live Without Conscience." The blogger said they wanted to restore the truth behind the incident involving Xu Yuqing, Gao Chi, and the others years ago. They could not bear to watch a good person be wronged like this any longer, and said that Star Universe Entertainment was the most malicious party in the entire matter.

[Xu Yuqing has truly had it rough. Even after terminating his contract, Star Universe Entertainment still refuses to let him go. They hired marketing accounts and paid posters to smear him. How far are they trying to push him? Let me make this clear first: I'm not Xu Yuqing's fan. I'm just a passerby who can't stand watching this anymore. If I were Xu Yuqing's fan, I would have stepped in three years ago, before he was shelved.]

[Back to the point. Xu Yuqing not only never used drugs, he never attended that gathering either, and he was not friends with Gao Chi. Please, who is Gao Chi? The younger brother of Star Universe Entertainment's Boss Gao. Was Xu Yuqing even someone he could associate with?]

[And Gao Chi's crimes were far more than simply allowing others to use drugs. Star Universe Entertainment covered up the entire truth.]

[Xu Yuqing went to that gathering to save someone—a female artist from the same company. He tried every possible way to bring her out, even at the cost of offending Gao Chi. He did it just to save a junior who had asked him for help. But he did not know that drug use was also involved at that gathering. Later, when Gao Chi was arrested, the Gao Family bore a grudge against Xu Yuqing. They not only shelved him, they also threw dirt on his name. They refused to explain anything for Xu Yuqing and directly tried to destroy an actor's career.]

[Even the female artist he saved never explained things for her savior. She did not even appear during that incident at all. Heh, a classic tale of the farmer and the snake, of Mr. Dongguo and the wolf.]

[In this whole matter, Xu Yuqing is the only good person. Not only did he not use drugs, he even saved someone. Although the person he saved was not a grateful, decent person, that only proves Xu Yuqing's character is good. Anyone still smearing him now truly has no conscience. Fortunately, he has successfully terminated his contract and signed with a fairly decent entertainment company.]

[Lastly, let me say this here: Xu Yuqing's life will be smooth sailing from now on, and he will soar higher and higher. Gao Chi's sentence will be increased. As for the other two, you disgusting people—did you have fun stealing Xu Yuqing's resources? Were you happy betraying your own benefactor?]

After reading the long post, the bystanders were astonished. So this was the truth behind Xu Yuqing's incident? Was what this person said true, or were they making it all up? First of all, they could not just take one side's word for it. Where was the evidence?

The fans' reaction was: Great, someone was speaking up for their brother!

They knew it. Their brother had definitely been wronged!

The slightly more rational ones were wondering whether this was actually an anti pretending to be a fan. Were they spouting nonsense to make people dislike Little Xu?

The haters' reaction, meanwhile, was—

[Oh? That's quite a story you've made up. How much did Jinbai Entertainment pay you? Or are you Xu Yuqing's alt account?]

[After reading this whole thing, my head is full of question marks. Please, Xu Yuqing went to save someone? Who was he saving? One person or two? Why don't you tell us who they were? You don't really think people will believe you just because you wrote a little essay, do you? You don't, right?]

[This is hilarious. Who do you think you are, making declarations here? Fine, then I'll make one too. If things really turn out the way you said, I'll livestream myself eating shit upside down! I'll swallow my keyboard too!]