Chapter 47: Old Scandals

On the night of October 30th, netizens in Hua Country experienced an exceptionally "exciting" night. First, there was the celebrity "drug party" that shocked the entire entertainment industry, followed by the shocking revelation in the Hua Country police circle about a semi-famous actress’s drug "suicide" from a year ago. The first exposé implicated nearly twenty stars in the entertainment industry, some of whom were newcomers, while others had already gained some fame within the circle. Zeng Xu was among them; he entered the industry even a few months later than Ruan Xingwen. Zeng Xu debuted as the C-position in a talent show, starred as the male lead in online hit dramas, and was a regular MC on TV variety shows. It must be said, his resources were even better than some top-tier popular young actors. Fans humorously called him "Koi Fish." His team not only hyped him with such an image but also created personas like "study god," "campus heartthrob," and "youthful school prince," all of which were nothing but publicity stunts. Yet, fans loved it. Zeng Xu’s baby face and gentle smile indeed projected a pure and sunny charm. However, his personality was quite the opposite—selfish, narrow-minded, he had it all. Normally, he bullied newcomers and crew members secretly, but the company and his team suppressed these incidents using that legendary sponsor—President Zhang. In front of President Zhang and others, Zeng Xu had two different faces. In front of President Zhang, he was always obsequious and flattering, or exceptionally attentive, which was a stark contrast to President Zhang’s situation at home, explaining why the henpecked President Zhang was so enraptured by him. And now, Zeng Xu lay in the emergency room being rescued, while President Zhang was indulging in the secretary’s gentle embrace. ——Whirr—— The door to the emergency room opened, and the doctor came out, instructing Wang Yuan, the only one at the door, "The patient has passed the critical period but is still unconscious. Once transferred to the ward, be mindful of his emotions and don’t provoke him." However, the doctor received no response from Wang Yuan, who was staring at the trending Weibo post that had already climbed to the top, trembling hands, face ashen, scaring the doctor into thinking something was wrong with him too. "Are you okay? Is there something wrong with your health?" These people from the entertainment industry are peculiar. The doctor also knew that the person inside was an artist, and the one in front was his manager. But clearly, this manager’s concern for the patient’s health was less than for his phone. As soon as the doctor finished speaking, wanting to step forward to check his condition, saw that the manager did not respond to his question, simply muttered, "That’s good," and then turned and rushed downstairs. "Eh, what... what a mess!" The doctor put down his raised hand, patted his white coat, turned around, and returned to the emergency room to handle the remaining work. Meanwhile, Wang Yuan quickly ran toward the elevator, simultaneously trying to contact President Zhang on his phone, as President Zhang was, after all, Zeng Xu’s "main person in charge." "What’s going on again! Are you sick? Didn’t I tell you not to call me for his matters anymore!" President Zhang’s impatient voice came through the receiver, with a woman’s soft voice faintly heard beside him. "President Zhang, something happened!" "If something happens, it happens. Don’t think I don’t know what he’s like outside!" President Zhang remained indifferent. "It’s not just Zeng Xu; Mingsheng is in trouble!" This time, President Zhang wasn’t quick to hang up and asked what exactly had happened. "Where are you now? I’ll come to you." "I’m at the company; come over." He said and gestured to the secretary to tidy up and leave first. "Okay, I’m heading back to the company now." Wang Yuan drove swiftly; fortunately, it was already close to midnight, and there were almost no vehicles on the road. However, before Wang Yuan could reach the company, President Zhang had already received a questioning call from his superior. "How are you handling this? It’s already spreading online!" "Vice President He, what’s happening online? What matter has blown up?" "What else! The incident from Zhou Xue’s birthday party last year, it’s going viral online!" Initially, President Zhang was still comfortably half lying on the office chair, but upon hearing this, he almost jumped up in disbelief, yelling into the phone, "Impossible! I cleaned up the video back then, and I took care of everyone who attended the party! It couldn’t possibly be leaked now!" "Yelling at me does no good! Who knows how it got out, but it’s already trending. Deal with it quickly!" Vice President He on the other end added another scathing remark, "With your taste, what kind of person did you pick?! Aside from causing trouble, they have no other skills!" President Zhang caught the key point in Vice President He’s words, his tone changing, "Brother Wei, does this matter have anything to do with Zeng Xu?" He Wei scoffed, "Ha, with a bit of fame, he dares to offend anyone. Who doesn’t know we’ve been competing with Huasheng for decades, and we’re still at a disadvantage? Ever since Yu Xiaozhe took over Huasheng, we’ve been suffocated by their pressure. He knows nothing yet dares to be the main actor! Useless!" With a "clap," the call ended. At the same time, a knocking sound was heard. "Come in." It was Wang Yuan who entered, forgoing any formalities, directly asking, "President Zhang, have you seen the Weibo trend?" "Not yet, but I have a rough idea. Tell me more in detail." Wang Yuan first repeated what Zeng Xu had said, then described Zeng Xu’s unusual behavior and his terrifying, frenzied shouts before falling unconscious. He did not notice President Zhang’s unnatural expression upon hearing Zeng Xu’s words. Then he narrated the online exposé that had climbed to the top of the trending list. In the office, apart from Wang Yuan’s voice, there was only President Zhang’s face turning ashen. Wang Yuan’s voice grew increasingly faint because President Zhang’s face looked terrible, until finally, Yuan stopped speaking altogether. He understood. The online exposé was true. There was a period at the beginning of the year when Zeng Xu was always unaccounted for at night. He claimed to be accompanying President Zhang, and Wang Yuan didn’t ask for details. It seems that Zeng Xu was indeed accompanying President Zhang at the time; was that when he came into contact with that stuff? No, there was another person in Zeng Xu’s words, indicating that the situation was more complicated than he thought... Wang Yuan had complaints but kept silent, as he truly knew nothing about these matters. Once Zeng Xu made private contacts with President Zhang, he no longer expected much from Zeng Xu. If a person has no bottom line, what progress can they make? The situation had reached this point, with the online drama still escalating and even attracting the police’s attention. Now he needed to extricate himself, and the only way... was to "sell" Zeng Xu. "President Zhang, why don’t we do it this way..." Wang Yuan walked toward President Zhang behind the desk, whispering closely, with President Zhang nodding in agreement from time to time, finally regaining his complexion, even slightly rosy with excitement. While they conspired, the online world was once again buzzing, and the trending list updated again. [Mingsheng Actor Zhou Xue’s "Suicide" Truth Revealed!]