118: Chapter 118 Full Name

Shenghui Entertainment's official Weibo updated at 10:18 AM.

During a training break, Shen Jue was crouching in the corner of the equipment area, then he sprang up.

"Brother Li! Shenghui released a statement!"

Li Li was doing his third set of pull-ups without turning his head.

Shen Jue held his phone up next to the pull-up bar. The screen showed white text on a blue background, formatted as neatly as an annual performance report.

"In view of the fact that our Company's agency contract with Ms. Jiang Rumu expires today, both parties have agreed not to renew. We thank Ms. Jiang Rumu for her contributions and trust during our collaboration. Shenghui Entertainment always respects the personal choices of every artist and wishes Ms. Jiang Rumu all the best in the future."

Thanks, blessings, wishes for a better future.

A three-piece set, the standard "I didn't do anything wrong" PR script.

Shen Jue scrolled down through the comments. His fingers moved faster and faster, his face turning greener.

The first top comment: [Shenghui has been benevolent. After building her up for so many years, she runs off as soon as the contract expires. Definitely an ingrate.]

The second: [Does someone who evades taxes have the nerve to talk about contract expiration? It was probably Shenghui that didn't want to renew with her.]

The third: [Waiting for Jiang Rumu's response, let's see what excuses she can make up.]

Shen Jue was so angry he threw his phone onto the grass.

He squatted down to pick it up again—it was bought on installment, he still had to pay it off if he broke it; everyone knows the interest-free credit trap.

Li Li landed and brushed the rust off his hands.

"Check the registration dates of the avatars for the first hundred comments."

Shen Jue scrolled through two screens. They were all registered within the last six months, with blank personal pages and following only artists under Shenghui.

"Over eighty percent are bots."

Li Li wiped his hands with a towel.

"Then what about Sister Mu?"

"Wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for her not to respond."

Shen Jue's brain didn't quite process this.

Li Li didn't explain further. Shenghui was making a statement to seize the moral high ground, using bots to guide public opinion and force Jiang Rumu to speak. Once she responded, no matter what she said, it would be torn apart and reinterpreted.

Silence until the bot budget is burned, silence until the legal process is complete.

Why be in a hurry?

—

The trending topic hung there from morning until evening.

"Jiang Rumu Shenghui breakup," "Why Jiang Rumu isn't responding," "Inside story of Jiang Rumu's tax evasion"—the three topics took turns.

The comment section shifted from urging a response to mocking the silence.

[Guilty, aren't you? Too scared to speak.]

[Silence is admission, tax evasion confirmed.]

But Jiang Rumu's Weibo didn't update all day. She didn't even post on her Moments.

The only one to surface was Qi Wanyin.

At 12:40 PM, a text-only Weibo post.

[The clear remain clear, the murky remain murky. What is under the sun is not necessarily bright, and what is in the shadows is not necessarily dark.]

No one completely understood, but everyone was guessing—who was she speaking up for?

Shenghui's PR department held an emergency meeting for this post.

They eventually decided it probably wasn't about Jiang Rumu.

Nobody would want to wade into this muddy water for no reason.

—

7:55 PM.

A small stage was temporarily set up on the playground, with two LED panel lights, a sound console, and two microphones. The electric keyboard was moved from the equipment storage and set up on its stand.

Li Li changed into a clean black T-shirt and sat down in front of the keyboard.

His phone was mounted on the music stand, the livestream switch in the center of the screen. He tapped it.

The screen lit up.

Three seconds—four hundred thousand viewers.

Ten seconds—one point two million.

Thirty seconds—three million.

The comments exploded.

[Brother Li is finally livestreaming!]

[Waiting for Qi Wanyin's new song!]

[I just want to ask—what's your take on Jiang Rumu's tax evasion?]

[Brother Li playing the piano is so cool!]

Li Li glanced at the comments. He didn't speak.

Just then, Shen Jue rushed in from the left side of the frame.

His big head was shoved to the top of the screen, blocking half of Li Li's face.

"Hello everyone! I'm Shen Jue! I have some good news to share with you! The first episode of our 'Brave Blue Friends' will officially air this Saturday at 8 PM—"

Before he could finish, the viewer count jumped past seven million. Nine million. Ten million.

Shen Jue looked down at the counter, and his words stumbled.

The comments started to turn sour.

[Why is he in Li Li's livestream? What's the relationship between Qi Wanyin and Li Li?]

[Are they together? What about Su Nianzhi? What about Jiang Rumu?]

[Is Shen Jue the third wheel??]

Shen Jue took two steps back.

"No, no, no—I'm the third wheel? Whose? Who am I with—"

The more he explained, the more absurd it got.

[Shen Jue × Li Li, did they break up??]

[Brother Jue, don't cry! You deserve better!]

Shen Jue's face turned purple. He opened his mouth three times and finally choked out:

"Wake up, you guys!"

He turned and ran.

The second he ran out of the frame, the comments were flooded with a wall of "Hahaha."

He became a laughingstock again.

—

Li Li sat in front of the keyboard, not moving at all.

Ten million people online. At least half were here for the gossip about Jiang Rumu.

Just as he was about to speak, Qi Wanyin walked over from the right side of the stage.

A white fisherman hat, a Morandi-colored cotton and linen long dress, her long hair loose, her canvas shoes stepping on the temporarily laid carpet without making a sound.

She walked to the microphone and adjusted the height.

"Hello everyone, I'm Qi Wanyin."

She paused for a beat.

"Thank you, Li Li, for lending me the livestream room for the night. No rent charged, what a conscientious landlord."

The comments laughed.

Someone asked—

[Sister Wanyin, what did that Weibo post at noon mean? Was it about Jiang Rumu?]

Qi Wanyin looked down and scanned the scrolling comments.

She didn't hesitate.

"You're asking about that Weibo post at noon."

She pushed the brim of her hat up.

"I've had contact with Xiao Jiang a few times and chatted during the variety show. She is a very upright girl."

She paused.

"She wouldn't evade taxes. Everyone should trust her."

The comments split in two.

[Qi Wanyin is directly supporting Jiang Rumu!!!]

[Sister, don't wade into this muddy water!]

[Sister is so bold!]

[But where is the evidence? What's the use of just talking about trust?]

At this moment, Li Li stood up, pushed the keyboard forward by two centimeters, and sat back down.

The screen was still flooded with "Jiang Rumu."

He spoke.

"It's Sister Qi's new song premiere tonight, don't bring up other things."

The comments formed camps—

[That's right! The protagonist tonight is Sister Qi!]

Another wave:

[Li Li's tone... is he also dissatisfied with Jiang Rumu?]

[Even Li Li doesn't want to mention Jiang Rumu? It must be confirmed then.]

[Even former CP partners are embarrassed.]

Qi Wanyin turned her head to look at him and took over the conversation.

"Alright—this song tonight was written for me by Li Li. Both the lyrics and the music are by him."

The direction of the comments was forcibly dragged back.

[Li Li can write songs???]

[Wasn't 'Say I Love You' written by him for Jiang Rumu before? How many skills does this guy have?]

Qi Wanyin turned to face the camera and stood still.

"This song is called—"

She paused for a second.

"'by name and surname'."

Li Li's fingers landed on the keys.

The intro began, four beats.

The wind from Shenzhen blew in from the east side of the playground, and the lights shone on Qi Wanyin's loose long hair.

Thirteen million people stared at the screen.

Qi Wanyin closed her eyes for a moment.

She opened her mouth.

As the first note fell—

In the corner of the playground, in the shadows.

Tao Qianzhi was holding a thermos cup, his hand stopped.

A scene suddenly popped into his mind.

An entertainment news interview from a few years ago.

The reporter asked Zou Xiaoou: "May I ask what the relationship is between King Zou and Ms. Qi? There are all kinds of rumors on the internet."

Zou Xiaoou looked confused.

"Ms. Qi? Qi Wanyin?"

He paused.

"Ms. Qi Wanyin and I are just normal industry peers."

"Let's stop those rumors; it's not good for me or Ms. Qi Wanyin. Everyone relies on their strength."

That was the only time Zou Xiaoou publicly responded to his relationship with Qi Wanyin.

The wife he had secretly married was called out by her full name and surname by him.

Tao Qianzhi lowered his head.

The water in the thermos cup had gone cold.

On the playground, Qi Wanyin's voice spread out, thirteen million people listening to the song, no one knew the weight of these four words.

by name and surname.