Chapter 57: The Farce Comes to an End

"I’m sorry, the patient couldn’t be resuscitated." The doctor regretfully informed Zhou Xue’s aunt and brother waiting outside. Zhou Xue’s aunt slumped in shock, while her brother Zhou Ming stepped back in disbelief. "Impossible! My sister can’t be dead! She called me the day before yesterday and told me we would soon have our own home. Impossible! Impossible... oh, oh..." The seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy finally broke down in tears of grief. The doctor, having worked in the hospital for so long, had become accustomed to life and death. But this young girl was somewhat pitiable. In addition to the injuries from jumping off the top floor, there were obvious bruises and her private areas... The blood test results also showed a large amount of hallucinogens. Ah, he was under He Wei’s instruction not to reveal the truth. For so many years, he had helped He Wei with numerous unethical deeds and couldn’t speak out. If he did, all his accomplishments in the hospital over the years would be meaningless. "Ah, my condolences." Like a brilliant meteor, Zhou Xue fell into the black night sky, disappearing until she was gone. A few days later, Zhou Ming and Zhou Xue’s aunt brought Zhou Xue’s ashes back to their hometown. Zhou Xue once said that her favorite was the scenery of her childhood’s hometown, and now she could finally enjoy her favorite scenery quietly. Zhou Ming knew his sister was a big star and occasionally used the phone she bought him to browse news about her. He knew many people online liked his sister. But now he didn’t care about those things; he just wanted to settle his sister quietly and, as she advised, study hard and become successful. Zhou Xue’s biggest regret was not being able to study well and attend a good university. In his heart, Zhou Ming vowed he would fulfill this wish for his sister! Their aunt was just an inexperienced woman, someone so timid she dared not resist even her own domestic abuse. Neither of them thought about why Zhou Xue jumped off a building; they simply believed she collapsed under life’s burdens, ending her young life. After all, Zhou Xue never told them how she achieved her current status. Zhou Ming and his aunt, who didn’t pay attention to entertainment news, naturally missed Mingsheng Entertainment’s statement regarding Zhou Xue’s suicide: It’s a pity that our artist Zhou Xue passed away on January 20th. Before this, Zhou Xue had mild depression tendencies, but unfortunately, she concealed it from the company for work. Yesterday morning, Zhou Xue jumped to her death from the hospital. We deeply regret this but will still provide some assistance to Zhou Xue’s family. Special announcement. The internet was in an uproar. Having just seen their goddess in a shooting announcement, how could she commit suicide today? Fans couldn’t believe that the smiling, innocent sister could have depression. Even those who were not her fans were surprised, questioning if the cheerful girl had really jumped off a building. "Fake, right?" However, a new announcement from the Su City police account left everyone dumbfounded: A post-mortem report on January 20th for a female actress with the surname Zhou revealed a large presence of drugs in her blood. Excessive drug use led to hallucinations, causing her to jump off the hospital’s top floor. The public is urged to stay away from drugs and cherish life! Zhou Xue took drugs? The girl who smiled like a little sun took drugs? This can’t be true! But since the news was released by the police, it must be true! Indeed, one cannot judge a book by its cover. A girl who seemed so pure turned out to be a drug user, a definite blemished artist! Following the police statement, Mingsheng issued another announcement, stating they were unaware of Zhou Xue’s actions, which were personal and unrelated to the company. Mingsheng’s official statement then strongly condemned Zhou Xue’s harmful behavior and urged the public not to follow her path. Finally, they issued a termination letter, explaining that they had now severed ties with Zhou Xue, and her actions only represented her personally. Mingsheng’s actions puzzled many. Initially, people sympathized with Mingsheng after learning of Zhou Xue’s drug use, given that her behavior was largely unrelated to the company. Living individuals can’t compare to deceased ones; this is an eternal law. Mingsheng’s statements and termination post Zhou Xue’s death undoubtedly tarnished their public image, making the company seem cold-blooded. "Why did you issue the termination announcement?!" He Wei, after answering a call from He Mingsheng, was stunned by the yelling, unable to speak. "What announcement? I didn’t have anyone issue anything!" He Wei didn’t understand He Mingsheng’s words. "Who else if not you?! I’ve already told you not to touch Zhou Xue! Now look, the cash cow is gone, and I have to clean up your mess! When did you start dealing with that stuff?" "It’s not mine! Ugh, even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand. What’s with the announcement you mentioned?" "Go check who issued the order and published the termination announcement about Zhou Xue." After that, He Mingsheng hung up. He Wei’s face turned ugly; every time it was this authoritative tone. All the dirty work was done by him, while all benefits went to He Mingsheng, all because he had a good father? He kicked an office chair forcefully, and the coffee cup in his hand was slammed to the ground, finally venting some of his anger, and connected the secretary’s internal line. "Come in and clean up." The secretary promptly cleaned up the coffee cup remnants on the carpet. He Wei thought for a moment and knew who could issue announcements without approval. Only President Zhang in the company leadership group knew the details about Zhou Xue. Scared that this matter would implicate him, once the news broke online, he immediately issued the termination announcement. What an idiot! He dialed President Zhang’s phone, and before he could speak, President Zhang’s ingratiating voice came through: "Mr. He, how did I handle this matter? Hehe, as long as we terminated Zhou Xue, her dirty deeds won’t implicate us. This way, the company..." "What the hell were you thinking? Issuing a termination announcement because she’s dead, afraid people wouldn’t know how cold-blooded we are?! Or did you get tired of sitting in the spot your wife secured for you?!" Trying to take credit but getting berated made President Zhang’s face unsightly, yet he had to keep flattering. "Mr. He, don’t be angry. Consider this: although my action cost the company some popularity, doesn’t it highlight how we at Mingsheng refuse to accept blemished artists, showing we truly didn’t know about Zhou Xue’s drug use?" After venting, He Wei gradually calmed down, considering it was true, but Zhang issuing orders without approval undermined his authority. "Is your brain finally working now? Misuse of authority: your year-end bonus is gone!" With a "bang," he hung up, still not satisfied, casually throwing his phone against the wall, shattering it instantly. The secretary cleaning the carpet was startled and glanced at He Wei. "What are you looking at?! Hurry up and finish cleaning, then get out!" The secretary dared not linger, swiftly tidying up the carpet, and collecting the phone debris, quickly leaving the office.