94: Retribution came too quickly

Information spreads quickly online; if a piece of news is explosive enough, it can hit the hot search topics in just five minutes.

Brother Yang was in a meeting when the secretary suddenly rushed in. Instead of speaking to Brother Yang, she went straight to the manager.

After some whispering, Brother Yang saw the manager staring at him with eyes that looked ready to bleed.

The manager couldn't control his temper this time; his blood pressure was clearly skyrocketing without even needing to be measured. He had known that Brother Yang and the artist under him would cause trouble sooner or later, and he should have dealt with them both the last time something happened. Now, it was too late for regrets.

Brother Yang didn't know what was happening. After the secretary finished speaking, the manager pointed at his nose and cursed at him, looking like he wanted to devour him whole.

"Manager, what... what's wrong?"

The manager couldn't even be bothered to explain. Everyone in the conference room kept their heads down, feeling a mix of relief and fear.

They felt relieved because it was Brother Yang being scolded; he was usually such an annoying poser that seeing him get yelled at made everyone quite happy. They were afraid because the manager's current state was truly terrifying—he had completely lost it. It seemed this was no small matter.

Ten minutes later, the company held another meeting—an emergency one that didn't include Brother Yang.

The manager deeply regretted it now. It was because he had been too merciful that he kept these two time bombs around. Now, they had finally exploded!

This explosion destroyed more than just them; it hit the company's reputation, its upcoming plans, and even affected the other artists.

When Xu Haokai saw so many news stories about himself on the hot search topics, he panicked. He immediately called Brother Yang, hoping the company would speak up for him and handle the crisis PR.

After over a dozen calls, one was finally picked up, only for Brother Yang to give him a piece of his mind before blocking him.

Xu Haokai was finally scared. No matter what happened before, Brother Yang would always issue a statement for him immediately. But now, he felt like the company was going to abandon him.

Ignoring the reporters waiting for him outside, he rushed straight to the company.

When Xu Haokai broke through the reporters' blockade and reached the company, he found out that Brother Yang had actually been fired. Xu Haokai was stunned.

He was taken to the conference room, where the manager met him personally along with the company's legal department.

Seeing the manager, Xu Haokai immediately began playing the victim: "Manager, those people online are slandering me. Please help me. Isn't our contract about to expire? If you help me through this crisis, I'll sign a ten-year contract with the company right away."

The manager couldn't help but roll his eyes. Even before this happened, the company was debating whether to renew his contract, let alone now.

"The contract clearly states that artists cannot be in relationships, yet you've dated six—and those are just the ones that were exposed."

Xu Haokai immediately retorted, "Manager, those women are just talking nonsense. I never admitted they were my girlfriends."

Xu Haokai's words made the manager even more disgusted. Wasn't that just being a 'Sea King'? The chat logs had already been leaked online. Talking so flirtatiously with them without being in a relationship—if the police caught him, they'd treat it as soliciting prostitution.

Manager: "The company won't help you anymore. You've breached your contract, and the company has the right to terminate it and demand liquidated damages."

"The lawyers will discuss the remaining matters with you."

The manager stood up to leave. He was Xu Haokai's last hope, and Xu Haokai knew that if the manager gave up on him, he was completely finished.

Xu Haokai pushed back his chair and knelt on the floor with a thud. "Manager, you can't do this. The company can't terminate my contract."

Xu Haokai would rather the company just put him on hiatus; at least then he wouldn't have to pay the massive liquidated damages, and there might be a chance for a comeback in the future.

The manager said coldly, "If we don't terminate the contract, should we lie for you and wait for more information to leak online?"

Xu Haokai was truly terrified now. "No, it can't be like this. Manager, I've made so much money for the company. The company can't just abandon me."

"And I have several advertisements where the clients personally chose me. They like me very much; they even said it had to be me."

The manager laughed out of anger. With your reputation now, would they still want you? Where do you get your confidence?

"Try calling them now. If they pick up, I'll take your last name."

Xu Haokai didn't believe it. He took out his phone and called Sister Zhao, the president of a company for which he had an ad. Sister Zhao liked him very much and even wanted to treat him like a younger brother. She had said she would help him invest in a movie; Sister Zhao would definitely pick up his call.

The phone rang twice: "The number you have dialed is currently unavailable."

Xu Haokai didn't give up and called twice more, but it was still the same voice.

Those in the know understood that this was the typical automated response for someone who had been blocked.

Seeing Xu Haokai acting like a buffoon, the manager didn't want to waste any more breath and stood up to leave.

An hour later, Xu Haokai's company issued two statements.

One was the termination of Xu Haokai's contract, and the other was the termination of Brother Yang's.

Having no other choice since the company wouldn't issue a lawyer's letter for him, he could only post a statement online himself—which was promptly dismantled by his ex-girlfriends.

["Scumbag, stop trying to clear your name. The more you try, the worse it looks."]

["The chat logs are all right here. You might as well just admit it and quit the industry."]

["This guy is hilarious. Did someone force you to date and sleep with these girls?"]

["These girls actually lent him money? I'm speechless. He's a celebrity; a single endorsement is worth millions. How could he have no money?"]

Xu Haokai's reputation online was completely ruined. Although he didn't leave the internet, he was being flamed to death.

After being fired, Brother Yang smugly thought that once this storm passed, he could return to the company. At worst, he’d just beg the manager's mother and buy her a bag or something.

Little did he know that he had just returned home in the morning when the police arrived in the afternoon, saying he had taken kickbacks from the company and was under investigation.

Brother Yang was scared now too. He tried calling the manager only to find he had also been blocked. The police handcuffed him and took him to the station for questioning.

Su Jixing was quite satisfied with the news online, as long as it no longer affected Lu Qingyu.

That evening, Su Jixing took Lu Qingyu home. He had been staying with Lu Qingyu for the past two days to take care of him. Since Lu Qingyu had an exam the next day, a sense of ceremony was necessary.

Su Jixing prepared everything clearly: the admission ticket, ID card, pencils, pens, and erasers.

Worried that Lu Qingyu might get an upset stomach, Su Jixing personally made breakfast in the morning—two boiled eggs and a bowl of noodles.

After Lu Qingyu woke up and took a few bites, Su Jixing rushed him to the exam hall.