Chapter 46: Wang Yuan

Zhang He had just returned to the office to deal with the "private meeting" photos that were trending again. This made her tone a bit sharp, as she should have been at home getting her beauty sleep, "You’ve already made up your mind, why are you asking me?" Zhang He replied sarcastically, "You’ve even arranged the crew’s matters, there’s no need to ask me." Brother Wang quickly explained, "Sister He, don’t misunderstand. I’m just giving a suggestion. How does Mr. Yu want to resolve it? We will fully cooperate over here!" Zhang He found Zeng Xu and Wang Yuan interesting, one constantly causing trouble and the other desperately cleaning up after him. Wang Yuan is somewhat famous in the circle, but not because of the popular artists he manages. Rather, it’s because Wang Yuan himself is famously smooth, never offending anyone in his dealings, as slippery as an eel. But what Zeng Xu did was not in line with Wang Yuan’s style. It seems that the trending topic and the exposé were initiatives taken by Zeng Xu on his own. "Did you not consider the consequences when you did this? Our boss is quite shocked, it’s been years since anyone has exposed his private life." When Yu Xiaozhe first entered the industry, there were many media reports, typically suggesting he had a sponsor; otherwise, how did a newcomer get the leading role in Director Wang’s film? How was that matter resolved? It’s been so long that Zhang He could hardly remember. It seemed that Director Wang personally posted a clarification on Weibo along with a casting video for "War," which calmed the situation. However, the paparazzi weren’t wrong; her boss indeed had strong backing. But it wasn’t from a sponsor; Yu Xiaozhe himself was the backing. Later, when the paparazzi found out that Yu Xiaozhe was the behind-the-scenes boss of Huasheng, such chaotic rumors mostly ceased. Huasheng cultivated numerous top figures in the entertainment industry, and it’s well-known that only Huasheng offers contracts most friendly to artists, regardless of their fame. Therefore, even after some extremely famous artists left Huasheng to start their studios, they maintained a friendly relationship with Huasheng, which directly led to Huasheng’s unshakable position in the industry. So today, these two trending topics are Yu Xiaozhe’s only negative news in recent years, which thrilled those who couldn’t catch his faults. They danced wildly in the comments section of Yu Xiaozhe’s Weibo. Seeing that Yu Xiaozhe’s side hadn’t released any statement by now, people believed Zeng Xu’s exposé was true, claiming that Yu Xiaozhe not only hit people on set but also took advantage of his position to have private meetings, possibly indicating hidden rules of the entertainment industry! This was exhilarating news for the critics! In fact, no matter how much they danced, they couldn’t get to Yu Xiaozhe himself, as his Weibo was always managed by the studio. Since the day it was registered, aside from promoting new dramas and occasional endorsements, no other content had been posted. Yu Xiaozhe himself never went on Weibo, and he didn’t care either, just occasionally hearing Zhang He and Yu Yue read some of the trolls’ comments to him. So, not only were Zhang He and the others shocked, but even those in the circle who knew Yu Xiaozhe’s identity were astonished. They knew Yu Xiaozhe’s character, a person who almost didn’t have any emotional fluctuations except for frowning when he disagreed with something, would he really hit someone? Saying he used his position to oppress newcomers? Even if they didn’t believe it, even some of Yu Xiaozhe’s veteran fans thought this exposé was absurd. Not only does Mr. Yu have noble image and temperament, but he carries an innate gentlemanly aloofness. Yu Xiaozhe requested Zhang He to tell fans not to meet him at the airport, not to give gifts, not to participate in rankings. But whenever he encountered fans at the airport, even though he didn’t approve of their behavior, he would still expressionlessly take photos and sign autographs with fans. Critics always made an issue of his lack of expression, claiming it showed annoyance. Fans would retort, "Have you seen Mr. Yu express any emotions outside of his dramas?" Critics: "..." Upon receiving gifts, he would frown as he accepted them, prompting critics to say Yu Xiaozhe disliked the fans’ gifts. Yu Xiaozhe’s fans would then post photos of Mr. Yu’s room full of stored gifts in the critics’ faces. Critics: "..." Over time, not only did the fans disbelieve, but even the critics, repeatedly refuted, gave up resisting and joined the refutation effort. However, as with this time, there were still some passerby gullible enough to be swayed by fake reviews. "How much did you spend to hire so many fake reviewers this time? Why are they endlessly spamming the comment section?" Zhang He was genuinely curious. Wang Yuan let out a bitter laugh, "Sister He, to be honest, there’s someone behind Zeng Xu, and you might already know who it is now. He never listened to what I said, and now that something has happened, he regrets it. He just collapsed from emotional breakdown and was rushed into the emergency room. I really have no choice now; Sister He, could you please help and ask Mr. Yu to be lenient?" After a pause, he continued, "I know Mr. Yu hasn’t spoken out yet, not to give us a chance to withdraw the trending topics, but probably because they’re investigating something about Zeng Xu, right? To be honest, Zeng Xu has been acting strangely lately, with significant mood swings, as if he’s become a different person; I also find it quite odd. Plus, his recent behavior is a bit bizarre; I think he might have some mental health issues." Wang Yuan still wanted to downplay the situation and hadn’t disclosed everything. Otherwise, just for blurting out the words "drug use," Zeng Xu’s life would be ruined. "I’m not concerned with Zeng Xu’s mental issues, but I have some very interesting materials here; would you like to take a look?" With that, she hung up the phone and sent the files to Wang Yuan; after all, they’re both in the industry and have each other’s WeChat. Sitting outside the emergency room, Wang Yuan looked at the files he received, his face gradually turning pale until it was completely ashen. With trembling hands, he typed: [Sister He, handle this matter as you see fit, just don’t involve me; I really didn’t know about these things.] However, Zhang He didn’t reply to him. She just sneered at his message; who was he trying to fool—how could a manager not know anything about his artist’s actions? She also received the file from Fang Wenkai just before Wang Yuan called. After seeing the content, she was also very shocked. Initially, when she heard from Yu Xiaozhe that Zeng Xu had significant mood swings, she speculated that Zeng Xu might have been exposed to drugs, resulting in some mental confusion. But after seeing the file, she felt that Zeng Xu was rotten to the core. With an innocent appearance, how could he commit such vicious acts? If it were merely drug use, he might be coerced, but being involved in a homicide, that’s not something one can be coerced into! Shaking her head again at the file, she contemplated how the entertainment industry appeared chaotic and glamorous in everyone’s eyes, but the path one chooses is ultimately their own decision. Taking out the phone, she sent a message to Yu Xiaozhe. [He: Boss, shall we release the press statement now?] [Yu: Yes.]