Meanwhile, under the tacit, half-hearted negligence of the bodyguards at the door, Guan Hongyu kicked the room’s door wide open, flanked by his own security detail.
Guan Hongyu had heard of Huang Linzhi’s notorious reputation. He wasn’t foolish enough to show up alone for this kind of muscle-flexing rescue mission.
For maximum dramatic effect, Guan Hongyu roared the second he stepped inside, “Huang Number Three, how dare you bully my brother!”
Huang Linzhi was born to the head of the Huang family through a third marriage. Though technically Huang Jie’s uncle, he was barely older than Huang Jie himself. Combined with the disparity in family standing, Guan Hongyu had always treated him quite casually.
“Guan Hongyu?” Huang Linzhi beamed at him with relief, completely ignoring what had just been said. At that exact moment, Guan Hongyu looked like a deity descending from the heavens. He blurted out, “Young Master Guan, save me!”
What the hell? Who is this pale, miserable wretch crouching on the floor looking like his pants are still damp?
Guan Hongyu, who had rushed over to rescue his third brother, stared in shock.
Guan Hongyu’s bodyguards, who had arrived expecting to protect a student from a pack of elite thugs, stood bewildered.
Are we completely certain this script wasn’t printed backward?
“Old Three…” Ignoring Huang Linzhi entirely, Guan Hongyu strode over to Su Youqi, sighing, “I finally understand how Fourth Brother feels.”
He had rushed over in a panic, expecting a classic hero-saves-the-day scenario, only to walk right into a total stomp.
Following Guan Hongyu’s entry, Huang Linzhi’s bodyguards naturally filed back inside.
The bodyguards, taking in Huang Linzhi’s wretched state, thought to themselves that if they had known, they wouldn’t have let Guan Hongyu push past them so easily!
Opportunities to see Huang Linzhi reduced to this condition were practically non-existent. No, scratch that, they had literally never happened before.
They had assumed that facing a high-status young master like Huang Linzhi, even if Su Youqi didn’t come out on top, he at least wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him.
Who could have guessed this kid actually had the guts to do it?
Young as he was, his audacity was off the charts.
Unfortunately, Huang Linzhi cared deeply about his face. Having them witness him in such a pathetic state meant he would likely direct his pent-up rage right back at them.
Today’s events were thoroughly shattering the bodyguards’ worldview. Huang Linzhi currently viewed anyone entering the room as a savior, and he certainly didn’t have the spare mental bandwidth to lash out. Ecstatic with relief, he immediately called his bodyguards over to form a tight defensive perimeter around him.
Regaining a sense of security, Huang Linzhi reverted to his old self, glaring venomously at Su Youqi.
Yet, haunted by the lingering terror of near-death, he didn’t dare act rashly. Shielded by his bodyguards, he beat a cowardly retreat.
The moment he tumbled into the back of his car, Huang Linzhi whipped out his phone to call his parents and the esoteric expert backing him.
Back in the room, Guan Hongyu and his security detail stared blankly, wondering what on earth they came here for.
“I’ll explain everything later.” Su Youqi placated Guan Hongyu, whose face was a mixture of unasked questions. More importantly, someone else was waiting with questions that needed answering even more urgently.
When Su Youqi and Guan Hongyu returned to the film set, they were greeted by a collective wall of awestruck stares from the entire crew.
Just what kind of supernatural deities are hiding in our crew?!
Huang Linzhi’s public apology video had exploded across the internet, spearheaded by a share and repost directly from their own director. Naturally, everyone in the production had seen it.
Since Huang Linzhi had walked out of the room with Su Youqi just prior, his posting of that apology video was undeniably tied to Su Youqi.
It was painfully obvious that the arrogant bully Huang Linzhi had been thoroughly reverse-engineered and crushed by Su Youqi, the very person he intended to harass.
Never mind Guan Hongyu being a young master of the powerful Guan family, even someone they initially assumed to be a connected newcomer introduced by Guan Hongyu had managed to pin Huang Linzhi to the floor and grind him into the dirt.
The crew collectively decided they needed to radically reevaluate Su Youqi’s place in the hierarchy.
“Hongyu is here.” The director’s spirits steadied slightly at the sight of Guan Hongyu.
The director’s complexion looked far from stellar, clearly deeply shaken by the fallout with Huang Linzhi. “We’re taking the day off. Everyone head back for today, and we’ll resume shooting tomorrow.” With the current atmosphere destroyed, shooting was impossible, so the director simply called a day off to sort the mess out.
Only Su Youqi, Guan Hongyu, Guan Hongyu’s bodyguards, the director, and Jin Yan remained.
Jin Yan blurted out eagerly, “Brother Su, do you know my older brother?”
Su Youqi sighed inwardly. Of course.
He had harbored lingering suspicions earlier because Jin Yan’s brother’s story mirrored Zheng Ze’s circumstances too closely, though different surnames had kept him uncertain.
“Yes! My brother took our father’s surname, while I took our mother’s.” Jin Yan grabbed Su Youqi’s arm tightly. “Brother Su, you said you know about my brother, what do you actually know? And how on earth did you force that scumbag Huang Linzhi to post a public apology online?”
Jin Yan had every right to be agitated. Back when the scandal blew up, his family had dragged Huang Linzhi to court multiple times, yet they could never even secure an apology, nor force Huang Linzhi to show his face. Now, Su Youqi had managed it in a single brief encounter, compelling Huang Linzhi to publicly confess his historical crimes and apologize to his brother online.
This long-overdue apology had finally arrived.
Su Youqi glanced up, catching Zheng Ze’s ghost shaking its head slightly, which made the spirit’s intent crystal clear.
“It was pure coincidence. Huang Jie, my roommate in college, shares the exact same rotten temperament as his uncle Huang Linzhi, always bullying people on campus. This time, Huang Jie targeted me, but since my martial arts skills are decent, I beat up his hired thugs when they tried to jump me. Frustrated, he sought out Huang Linzhi to help deal with me. Through that series of coincidences, I happened to hear about Huang Linzhi’s past glorious deeds.
“Then, just now, Huang Linzhi brought bodyguards to teach me a lesson, but none of them could lay a finger on me. Naturally, I brought up his past campus bullying exploits.
“He’s nothing more than a coward who bullies the weak and cowers before the strong. Terrified out of his wits, he spilled every single detail. Since I already knew a bit about the case online, hearing his disgusting actions firsthand made my blood boil, so I just made him record and post that video.”
As for why Su Youqi forced Huang Linzhi to publish that specific video, the motivation boiled down to basic justice and empathy.
He really is a righteous, upstanding young man!
Everyone in the room thought the exact same thing upon hearing Su Youqi’s explanation.
The director, in particular, stepped forward and clapped Su Youqi on the shoulder with deep emotion, offering continuous praise.
“Scumbags like him deserve a harsh lesson. Besides, the bridge between me and the Huang family is already burned, so I’m hardly worried about adding one more log to the fire.” Su Youqi didn’t try to claim undue credit. In truth, he had acted out of simple convenience, given the toxic family traditions of the Huang clan, even without Zheng Ze’s involvement, the uncle-nephew duo wouldn’t have let him off anyway. He was bound to clash with them sooner or later.
However, the director’s proactive stance caught Su Youqi somewhat off guard.
Su Youqi asked, “Director, the Huang family holds substantial influence. You publicly reposted that video and blew the matter wide open online. What if the Huang family retaliates against the production?”
While an established name, the director had only risen to prominence in recent years, leaving him with a shallow foundation compared to a behemoth like the Huang family, which also held entertainment assets. By making this move, the director was openly declaring war on the Huang family.
Furthermore, production was currently underway, the most vulnerable window possible. According to unwritten rules in the entertainment circle, nobody would court disaster by pulling such a stunt mid-shoot.
“As if the Huang family would dare! This production might not be a massive-budget blockbuster, but it’s partially financed by my Guan family. Let the Huangs try making a move and see what happens!” Before the director could speak, Guan Hongyu let out a cold snort, scoffing, “If their own flesh and blood pulls garbage stunts and they still have the gall to harass others, this young master will gladly teach them a lesson in basic human decency!”
Young Master Guan possessed the status and backing to speak with absolute confidence.
Guan Hongyu possessed fine upbringing and detested the Huang family’s style of throwing weight around. Furthermore, since the two scumbags had crossed paths with a valued dorm-mate and targeted a production backed by his family’s investments, he felt obligated to intervene on both personal and professional grounds.
With Guan Hongyu’s declaration, the production was effectively under royal protection.
The boulder weighing heavily on the director’s chest finally vanished, leaving him with enough composure to crack a dry joke. “With Hongyu’s backing here, what do I have to worry about?”
“I hadn’t even said those words when you hit retweet, you know,” Guan Hongyu grinned. Despite that, the director’s gutsy move earned him genuine respect from the young heir, though Guan Hongyu looked slightly bewildered. “By the way, your engagement metrics are insane today, your post went viral instantly! I remember when this crew launched and you posted about it, it didn’t trend this fast. Guess heaven itself hates bad guys!”
Guan Hongyu figured this was simply the unstoppable momentum of justice at work.
Instead of answering directly, the director offered a sheepish, embarrassed smile. “I bought the trending spot.”
Guan Hongyu, Su Youqi, Jin Yan, and the bodyguards froze in unison, realizing the true power of capital.
True to being an old fox in the entertainment industry, the director knew all the tricks.
The director offered a weak defense. “Still, public outrage over campus bullying is the real driving force. Otherwise, a bought trending tag would just fade away in hours.”
The group remained silent.
Since he was already helping through to the end, Guan Hongyu recalled what Su Youqi had mentioned regarding Jin Yan’s brother. Deciding to go all-in, he handed Jin Yan a contact card. “This is the chief legal counsel of our Guan Group. I’ll give him a heads-up so he can help you sue that bastard Huang Linzhi into the ground!”
Since they were already locked in combat with the Huangs, he didn’t mind making the blow thorough.
Jin Yan’s eyes lit up brightly, though hesitation quickly clouded his expression. “Young Master Guan, the Huang family holds immense influence. If we use your family’s lawyers, your parents…”
The chief legal counsel of the Guan Group sounded like an absolute heavyweight.
Years ago, his family had consulted numerous attorneys, but all of them backed away in terror after receiving threats from the Huang family. The few who took the case out of a sense of justice were utterly dismantled by the Huang family’s powerhouse legal team.
Consequently, Jin Yan desperately wanted to reach out to the lawyer Guan Hongyu was offering.
With such heavy artillery backing him, the odds of securing justice for his brother multiplied exponentially.
Yet Guan Hongyu was barely past twenty, still a student, prone to youthful impulsiveness. While he might want to help out of righteous indignation, this was a massive corporate-level war against the Huang family, and Jin Yan couldn’t be sure Guan Hongyu’s parents would approve.
Historically, other well-meaning people had tried to assist Jin Yan’s family, only for circumstances to force them to back down midway.
Jin Yan didn’t want to drag Guan Hongyu or the Guan family down with him.
The director opened his mouth as if to offer counsel, but ultimately swallowed his words with a heavy sigh, thinking it was an opportunity handed directly by the young master of the Guan family.