Chapter 30

Chapter 30 “Have you seen the tea?” “What?” “Big drama today.” “I know, it’s about Wen Tang, right?!” “Yes yes, shocking!” As dinner was winding down and people were chatting, someone suddenly brought up the topic. Zhou Jingyu had spent most of the evening with half his attention on his phone, which hadn’t received a single message. Initially, he showed no interest in the gossip they were discussing, until someone suddenly mentioned Wen Tang’s name. He was busy all day and didn’t usually follow entertainment news, so naturally he didn’t know what happened in the industry daily. Although Liu Ying sat closest to Zhou Jingyu, he either chatted with others or sat alone looking at his phone, so she couldn’t find any topic to discuss with him—even more distant and difficult than at the last class reunion. Seeing the gathering was ending and about to disperse, Liu Ying thought she should find a chance to say a few words to Zhou Jingyu, otherwise wouldn’t today be a wasted trip? Just as she was eager but at a loss for words, she saw Zhou Jingyu, who had been fidgeting with his phone in thought, suddenly look up. Liu Ying, clever since childhood, had a sudden inspiration. “You just returned to the country—do you know Wen Tang?” Liu Ying asked. Sure enough, she successfully captured Zhou Jingyu’s attention. When Zhou Jingyu’s cold, clear gaze turned toward her, Liu Ying felt her heart skip. Since school days, Zhou Jingyu had always held a fatal attraction for her that was hard for others to imagine. Back then, she had made many efforts to get closer to him, but the only result was that everyone around them agreed they were the perfect match. She often felt secretly pleased by such comments. But all of that ended when Zhou Jingyu went abroad. Under Zhou Jingyu’s gaze, Liu Ying’s heart raced wildly. She forced herself to stay calm, though a faint blush wouldn’t fade from her face. She said softly, “Come to think of it, Wen Tang is really popular now. No wonder you can recognize her even after ten years abroad.” She assumed Zhou Jingyu knew Wen Tang the way ordinary people did—perhaps from TV or magazines. As for this, Zhou Jingyu offered no further explanation. He merely curved his lips slightly and didn’t want to chat with Liu Ying about anything else, only caring about Wen Tang. So he asked directly, “Wen Tang—what happened to her?” This single question was like poking a hornet’s nest. Zhou Jingyu was already the center of attention for everyone present, and Wen Tang’s situation was now national news. Without waiting for Liu Ying to speak, people eagerly rushed to explain. “Wow, you don’t know?” “Her younger brother—drove drunk without a license, hit-and-run, and has been detained by police.” “This blew up huge. Hardly anyone doesn’t know about it now. Her brother is nobody, but she’s a big star, so everyone’s attacking her. Wen Tang probably can’t escape this unscathed!” “Nobody knows where this brother suddenly came from—his authenticity is still questionable. And it was the brother who hit someone, not her. Now they’re pinning all the blame on her. If you ask me, she’s really being wronged this time.” “Wronged? If she weren’t such a big star sister, would that brother be so reckless?” “Man, you’re something else! Drunk driving without a license—if I’d dared that at eighteen, my dad would’ve skinned me alive!” “You? Haven’t you caused enough trouble when you were young?” “Yeah, they called him the little tyrant of Ling City. He turned the whole school upside down. Teachers’ teeth were itching!” “Writing thousand-character apology letters every week until his hand cramped—that was you!” “And having to read them at Monday morning assembly.” “…Brothers, give me some face in front of my girlfriend!” “Hahahaha!” … As the conversation went on, the topic drifted further and further off track. But Zhou Jingyu’s frown deepened. Still, joking aside, no one forgot that Jiang Qianya was there. Since she and Wen Tang were both popular stars, people thought she might know some inside information. They turned to her and asked, “Qianya, is this thing about Wen Tang true?” Jiang Qianya’s team was indeed closely monitoring the situation. It was well-known that Wen Tang and Jiang Qianya were fierce rivals in the industry. Her team had deployed numerous marketing accounts and water armies right after the news broke. One could say Jiang Qianya’s team was instrumental in how quickly this scandal had spiraled. However, in public, Jiang Qianya had to maintain a good image. When asked, Jiang Qianya smiled slightly and said with an air of detachment, “I was quite shocked when I first heard about it. Though Wen Tang and I have met a few times, we’re not really close. I only know what I’ve heard secondhand, probably not much more than you all.” As Jiang Qianya spoke, she subtly shifted her gaze to Zhou Jingyu, noting he was listening intently. Without showing it, she continued, “However, regarding her father and brother, there’s been talk in the industry. They don’t have good reputations, so it’s not surprising something like this happened.” With that, she essentially put a final seal on today’s online drama. After Jiang Qianya finished, everyone brought the derailed conversation back on track. “So they really are blood relatives!” “If that’s the case, then Wen Tang isn’t innocent at all!” … Zhou Jingyu listened silently to the whole story. Once he understood what had happened, he suddenly stood up. Lu Yi, sitting beside him, was discussing something enthusiastically. Hearing the movement, he turned back in surprise, “What are you doing?” Zhou Jingyu didn’t respond. Facing everyone, he said, “Sorry, I have some things to handle. I’ll leave first.” Without giving anyone a chance to stop him, he finished speaking and strode out, leaving the table full of people gossiping enthusiastically staring at each other in confusion, unsure what had just happened. “…He just left like that?” “What’s so urgent?” …