“The investor who tried to make a move on you yesterday! He’s trending!”
Yang Yi’s voice was brimming with barely contained excitement, her tone vindicated. “As expected, if you walk along the river long enough, you’re bound to get your shoes wet! We couldn’t do anything to him, but someone else can!”
She paused. “Last night, I was worried that a petty person like him might try to retaliate in secret, but now I can rest easy.”
After the call ended, Jiang Li opened Weibo on her phone.
Sure enough, news about that investor’s scandal was prominently displayed on the trending list—not just one entry, but three, with unprecedented buzz.
#M-Surname Investor Sexual Scandal#
#Meng Yang’s Casting Couch#
#Celebrity Suicide#
Seeing the trending topics, Jiang Li was momentarily stunned.
She tapped into one of the entries and quickly pieced together what had happened.
It started around noon today when someone posted an anonymous tip on Weibo, claiming that their friend—an industry insider—had, in a state that was neither voluntary nor sober, been involved with a certain M-surnamed investor.
As a newcomer at the time, she didn’t dare to pursue the matter, nor did she have the ability to. She could only treat the whole thing as a nightmare that came back to haunt her at midnight.
But little did she know, her nightmare was only just beginning.
She started receiving constant harassment from the investor. She didn’t dare block him, so she could only choose to ignore him.
Yet the investor grew bolder by the day—not just with verbal harassment, but by frequently sending her explicit and lewd photos. Eventually, he even used his connections in the industry to suppress the artist.
With no way out, the artist was forced to bow her head and entered into an improper relationship with the investor that lasted two years.
Then, recently, in order to achieve his goal of exchanging resources, the investor began sending her to the beds of men of various statuses both inside and outside the industry.
Unable to bear the humiliation, the artist attempted to take her own life at home two days ago. She was still in critical condition, her life hanging in the balance.
The moment this tip went public, the entire internet erupted.
[Oh my god, explosive!!! Is this tip real or fake? Can someone verify this?!]
[I knew the entertainment industry was dirty, but I didn’t know it was THIS dirty! It’s absolutely disgusting!]
[The artist’s identity is hard to guess, but there probably aren’t that many M-surnamed investors in the industry, right? It feels like it’s only a matter of time before they get exposed. Say what you will, but this so-called glamorous entertainment industry is really tough to survive in! Who could endure that kind of experience?!]
[A relationship that lasted two whole years? Tsk, it takes two to clap. Isn’t it just two adults getting what they need from each other? Why play the victim now? Did you refuse when they gave you resources?]
[This is probably a self-staged drama because the price wasn’t right, right?]
[Do the people above have no humanity at all? She was driven to suicide and is now lying in the hospital fighting for her life. Have some decency!!]
[The facts haven’t even been verified yet, and you’re already blaming the victim? Are you all paid bots hired by Meng Yang or something?]
Various marketing accounts and netizens scrambled to share the post, all demanding verification of the tip’s authenticity, while speculation ran rampant about the identities of both the investor and the artist.
Just as the public outcry was intensifying, an assistant of the M-surnamed investor posted in support. Though no names were mentioned, the subtext pointed squarely at Meng Yang.
[This is a crime, isn’t it? Who the hell is this guy? The artist was oppressed to the point where she didn’t even dare speak up?]
[Police, it’s time to do your job!!]
Before today, I had no idea who this Meng Yang guy even was, but look at this trending list—damn, even a top-tier celebrity has nothing on this.
Holy shit, what a drama! Is the little assistant turning traitor?
These leaks coming one after another… is that really a coincidence? Could it be a setup, the two of them working together to trap Meng Yang?
A setup? Don’t make me laugh. From this morning till now, how long have these leaks been out? If he weren’t guilty, why hasn’t Meng Yang come out to clarify by now?
Meng Yang scowled as he read the exposés online.
A moment later.
With a loud crash, his phone was hurled straight to the floor.
“Bitch!”
Meng Yang’s features twisted in fury, his face—already worn from excess—now taking on a sickly pallor. “If she wants to ruin herself, fine, but dragging me down with her?!”
“What about the poster’s IP address? Haven’t you traced it yet?! And that assistant who leaked the info—have you made contact?! Whether through threats or bribes, do whatever it takes to shut them up!”
He whipped around to glare at his secretary, who was trembling in the corner, silent the whole time. “Speak up! Are you deaf or mute?!”
The secretary’s face went pale, and he stammered, “Mr. Meng, we’re still tracing the IP—no results yet. We tried reaching out through Weibo, but the other party hasn’t responded. As for the assistant who leaked…”
“He’s vanished into thin air—no one can get in touch with him…”
“What about the PR department? The public opinion is spiraling out of control, and they’re not doing anything?! Why isn’t the trending topic being taken down?! Why aren’t bots being bought?! Do I pay all that PR money every year for nothing?!”
The secretary’s face grew even paler as he mumbled, “The PR department said they’ve already started working on it, but for some reason, it’s not having much effect…”
“What do you mean ‘not much effect’?! What do you mean ‘not much effect’?!”
Meng Yang’s face darkened further, and he swept everything off his desk with one arm.
“Incompetent! A bunch of goddamn incompetents!”
Just as the secretary was about to respond, Meng Yang’s phone suddenly rang.
He was about to hang up without a second thought, but when he saw the caller ID, his eyes—which had been as dull as dead ashes—lit up instantly.
He shot a glance at the secretary. “What are you still standing there for?! Get the hell out and keep digging for leads!”
Once the secretary left the office, Meng Yang immediately answered the call.
His tone was fawning and urgent: “Director Liu! I was just about to call you—”
“Little Meng…” The middle-aged man on the other end sighed. “You’ve gotten yourself into real trouble this time.”
Meng Yang paused, his voice growing even more frantic. “Director Liu, I know I mishandled this. Please, help me one more time—”
“Have you offended someone recently?” The man cut him off directly.
Having spent so many years in the entertainment industry, Meng Yang quickly pieced it together—that timid little artist, and the assistant who suddenly spilled the beans.
“Are you saying someone’s deliberately setting me up?”
Director Liu let out another sigh. “Little Meng, it’s not that I don’t want to help you, but this time, I really can’t.”
The moment he heard those words, Meng Yang’s heart sank with a jolt.
He had gotten into trouble before, but as long as Director Liu stepped in, it was a matter of one sentence—he could settle it directly. After all, there wasn’t even solid evidence yet, so why couldn’t he help him?
Unless…
“Director Liu, is… who?”
The other side was silent for a long moment before speaking in a low voice: “As far as I know, this matter has something to do with the Shang family.”
Meng Yang’s face changed drastically, and his voice unconsciously carried a tremor: “D-Director Liu, which Shang family do you mean?”
There seemed to be a laugh from the other end, tinged with sarcasm: “Little Meng, what other Shang family could there be? You—did you play with fire and offend someone without even realizing it?”
Meng Yang said urgently: “Director Liu, there must be some misunderstanding here! Even with ten times the guts, I wouldn’t dare to go against the Shang family! Let alone oppose them—with a wealthy conglomerate like theirs, how could I, someone in the entertainment industry, possibly…”
In a flash of lightning, he remembered the gossip that had been circulating in the investment circle, which he had previously dismissed with a sneer.
About the true identity of top-tier musician Shang Chi.
Jiang Li, who hadn’t succeeded last night… the tall, straight-backed man in black that the bodyguard had mentioned upon return…
The series of events suddenly seemed to have a reasonable explanation.
Could it be…?
But, how is that possible?!