Chapter 28

Chapter 28 The entertainment industry is brutally realistic. With negative news surrounding her, by that afternoon, Wen Tang had lost several endorsement deals. The new film she was supposed to sign with director Xu Ke two days later was also postponed indefinitely. Everyone was smart enough to understand what that meant—it was a rejection. After hanging up the phone, Liu Meifen was furious, pacing back and forth in Wen Tang’s apartment with her phone in hand: “What do they mean? It’s just a small matter, trending for a bit, and they all want to terminate contracts? They didn’t think twice when they came knocking with money, begging us to sign, acting so humble. So what if it trends? Do they think we can’t handle it? Ridiculous! We’ve been in this industry for years and seen all kinds of storms. If they do business like this, they can forget about working with us again!” After the midday trending topic, Liu Meifen had been called back to the company for an emergency meeting with the boss and PR team. The media had taken things out of context. In reality, only the child’s father remained unconscious; the mother had regained consciousness this morning and was out of immediate danger, currently in the ICU and soon to be transferred to a regular ward. Despite this, the company knew they couldn’t speak out while one person remained unconscious. Everyone understood that two lives matter just as much as one life—there was no difference. If Wen Tang tried to clarify now, she would face an even fiercer storm of public opinion. The team could only pray the man would wake up soon and that no lives would be lost. The company launched emergency PR, with water armies immediately working to guide public opinion in Wen Tang’s favor. They released information that Liu Meifen had raised Wen Tang since childhood with minimal contact with her father’s side, and that Wen Anle’s actions were personal and unrelated to Wen Tang. But it had little effect. Public opinion was in a fermentation and explosion phase—impossible to suppress. A family of three, a couple working hard for their livelihood, their story mirrored countless ordinary people. They’d bought a house and a car; a bright future seemed within reach, only to be destroyed by one car crash. Unlicensed driving, drunk driving, hit-and-run—any one of these would be despicable, yet Wen Anle had committed all three. The family’s breadwinner’s fate unknown, leaving a five-year-old child helpless. How could this not touch the hearts of countless strangers? The tragedy of hardworking people meeting such an end was heartbreaking. Wen Anle naturally received the harshest criticism, but detained at the police station, how could he know what was happening outside? The public’s emotions needed an outlet, so they naturally extended to others, and Wen Tang was the perfect target. Losing endorsements and film roles were secondary. Everyone understood what could and couldn’t be touched. Wen Tang’s previous trending topics were harmless gossip, but this involved human lives—a completely different weight class. One misstep could end Wen Tang’s acting career. The entertainment industry was just that realistic and cruel. “Don’t worry, Wen Tang. Leave this to the company. Stay home during this time and try not to look at your phone,” Liu Meifen said after her tirade against the brands. She received another call from the company demanding her return for another meeting. The fire was at the door. Before leaving, she needed to reassure Wen Tang to prevent her from overthinking. “I’ve already requested leave from the crew. Once this is resolved, you’ll go back to filming. Losing a few endorsements doesn’t matter—others will come. Consider it a vacation. You’ve been busy these past years with no real rest. Use this opportunity to relax properly!” Liu Meifen had finally arranged a break for Wen Tang, though it was somewhat forced. She left hurriedly in her high heels, having spent less than half an hour at Wen Tang’s apartment. Things were far more complicated than Liu Meifen suggested. At 8 PM, prime internet traffic time, various marketing accounts released another video in coordinated fashion. It showed Liu Meifen visiting the police station at night, then going to the hospital with Wen Haifeng to meet the victims’ families. As Wen Anle’s father, Wen Haifeng was arrogant, showing no remorse, immediately offering money to silence them, his tone and words identical to when Wen Anle was arrested. “You’ve blocked us at the police station, won’t release Anle, insist on sentencing him. What’s this really about? You want more money? How much? Name your price!” He spat: “What terrible luck. Disgusting!” Liu Meifen stood beside him, silent but radiating coldness and arrogance that said everything. She’d been woken by Wen Haifeng’s call in the middle of the night to handle this mess. While naturally impatient, Wen Haifeng wanted her to pay to keep his son out of prison. She didn’t care whether Wen Anle was sentenced or not. She only cared about Wen Tang’s reputation and future. “We’ll take full responsibility for this matter. We’re willing to pay all medical expenses,” Liu Meifen said, producing a contract she’d prepared before leaving and handing it to the distraught relatives. “You must sign this confidentiality agreement, guaranteeing you won’t leak a single word about today to anyone. Otherwise, I won’t pay a cent.” Both patients were in critical condition, medical bills mounting rapidly. Without money, there was no hope. The couple in the ICU had just buried the last elderly family member at home. They’d been called to the hospital—they were distant relatives who’d come to Lingcheng years ago to build their lives together. They couldn’t make such major decisions, but keeping secrets was something they could do. With lives at stake, they signed immediately. After they signed, Liu Meifen pulled a bank card from her limited-edition luxury bag and handed it directly to Wen Haifeng. Money paid, mouths sealed. For Liu Meifen, the matter was settled.　　When she left the hospital, she also called Wen Tang. But she didn’t anticipate that Wen Haifeng would act irresponsibly. After taking the money, he didn’t give it to the victims at all. He had even greater demands than Liu Meifen—he required the victims’ side to agree to a settlement and forgive Wen Anle to the maximum extent, so that Wen Anle wouldn’t have to go to prison for this. The person was still in the ICU. Who could agree to such terms? Besides, they were only distant relatives and didn’t dare take on such a huge responsibility. On one hand, Liu Meifen coaxed them into signing confidentiality agreements. On the other hand, Wen Haifeng was aggressive and dismissive, treating human life as a joke. Without money, there was no way to pay for treatment. Everyone has a temper, and they no longer cared about whatever damn contracts they’d signed. The moment Wen Haifeng left with his head held high, the two relatives put their heads together and decided to leak the matter to the media through a friend. And to preserve evidence, they kept a trump card—they secretly recorded videos of everything that happened before and after the meeting. If you’re unkind, I’ll be unjust. At worst, we’ll both go down together! What the public saw at eight o’clock that evening was precisely this condensed and edited version of the video. Perhaps no one knew who Wen Haifeng was, but Liu Meifen had been traveling around with Wen Tang for years and frequently appeared in the media. How could anyone mistake her? With Liu Meifen’s appearance, it was undoubtedly confirmation of the rumor that the perpetrator Wen Anle was Wen Tang’s younger brother.