Chapter 13
Tang Yao thought she already knew the answer Zhang Qing hadn't said.
She stayed until dusk before bidding farewell. Zhang Qing leaned against the balcony and waved goodbye.
Downstairs, Tang Yao bumped into Huang Yong, who looked serious.
Tang Yao asked Huang Yong how he would handle Zhang Qing's situation. Although Huang Yong felt apologetic, he decided to have Zhang Qing withdraw from this season's recording and find a way to bring her back once the storm subsided.
As a friend, he felt sympathy and anger for Zhang Qing's plight, but as the director, to keep the show filming going, he had no choice but to resort to this tactic. Privately, he even had his people use alternate accounts to speak on Zhang Qing's behalf, but the effect was minimal.
After all, the person behind Ouyang Hua was quite powerful.
Tang Yao thought for a moment and said to him, "What if I have evidence? Can we let Elder Sis Qing continue filming the show?"
Huang Yong was taken aback: "What evidence?"
That evening, a few videos were quietly uploaded online by a newly registered account.
At first, there were no views, but soon, it was a few, then a few dozens, then hundreds.
Those who saw the post quickly shared it.
Within a few hours, these videos topped the trending searches.
The videos appeared to be filmed using ultra-high-definition surveillance cameras. The images and audio were very clear.
One video showed Ouyang Hua trying to sexually harass Tang Yao that night and being stopped by Zhang Qing; another showed Ouyang Hua making a phone call in a secluded corner of the guesthouse.
These two videos completely nailed him guilty.
During the phone call, he mentioned Zhang Qing and recounted a bit about what happened back then.
It turned out that Zhang Qing had once caught Ouyang Hua's eye, but she firmly rejected him. This led to her being slandered and blacklisted, leaving her with no outlet for her talents and remaining in obscurity until now.
In the video, Ouyang Hua's face was ruthless: "Back then, his woman was disobedient and now she's learned her lesson. I'll give her another chance. If she still doesn't bow down, I'll deal with her again! Get me some more of the drug I used on that little actress last time. Here's another top-quality one..."
The video instantly shattered Ouyang Hua's image as a kind, gentle, and supportive figure.
"How disgusting! My God, how can someone be like that?"
"I used to think he was quite talented and felt society was unfair to a talented but washed-up singer like him. Now I realize how stupid I was."
"I wonder how many girls he's ruined."
"Am I the only one focusing on the first video? That person is the boss? She's so pretty! Does Ouyang Hua have any self-awareness? How can a beautiful girl like her be interested in an ugly thing like him?"
"Really! The boss is so gorgeous! I've never seen her on the variety show."
"I suggest a thorough investigation of Tianxiang Entertainment @City-A-Public-Security-Bureau.
"He's just a washed-up singer, how can he be so arrogant? Who's backing him?"
"We've all wronged Zhang Qing all these years, we all owe her an apology."
"Such a talented young girl and her future cut short by this scumbag."
"Zhang Qing saw the boss being harassed and still came out to help. She's such a good person, I declare myself as a fan."
Tianxiang Entertainment was the entertainment company Ouyang Hua worked for. Established for over twenty years, it has a fairly good reputation in the industry, but now everyone hated the house and the crow that came with. The comments on Tianxiang Entertainment's official website were appalling.
Ouyang Hua, who was sound asleep, was awakened by a phone call. Hearing the content of the call, his mind went blank.
Tang Yao was awakened by the noise outside. She opened the window. It was still pitch black outside and a cool night breeze was blowing. A light was on in one of the rooms in the small building next door. The noisy sounds were coming from inside.
She only looked for a moment before closing the window. The night may be long, but dawn would always come. The next morning, she heard from the production crew that Ouyang Hua had packed his things and left overnight.
Tang Yao's mood instantly brightened as she ate breakfast. Even the bagels Xiao Li had baked seemed softer and sweeter.
"Thank you," Zhang Qing said, sitting next to her with a golden-brown bagel and a glass of milk in her hands.
"Huh? What?" Tang Yao turned her head in confusion.
Zhang Qing smiled slightly and shook her head: "Nothing, today's bagels are delicious."
That morning, because of the changes on Ouyang Hua's side, the live broadcast hadn't started yet. Everyone sat together for breakfast. This was the last day of filming for this episode.
Everyone talked about Ouyang Hua, feeling a bit sentimental.
"When he first debuted, he followed me around calling me 'teacher, teacher.' I thought he was a very polite kid back then, but I never expected..." Shen Wentao sighed.
"You can know a person's face but not their heart. He's been suppressing Xiao Qing for so long. This is his retribution. What a piece of trash!" Always quick to condemn evil, Du Meijuan spoke of Ouyang Hua with utter disdain. "I just didn't expect he'd also harass Xiao Tang. If I'd been there, I would have slapped him a few times."
"Simply atrocious! How can he bully a girl like that? What will her parents and family think?" Wu Yang thought of his petite and adorable daughter and immediately felt sympathy. His fists clenched.
Head down, Lu Bei furiously typed on his phone, not participating for the time being.
As the conversation veered off course, they began discussing gossip about other people in the entertainment industry.
It had to be said, gossip was truly human nature; gossip brought joy.
Just as Tang Yao was listening with great interest, her phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number. Although suspicious, she answered it anyway.
"Boss Tang, right? Some things are beyond your control. I hope you'll delete the videos online and clarify that you fabricated them yourself. Otherwise, I have plenty of ways to shut down your guesthouse. You wouldn't want your parents' hard work destroyed, would you?"
The person on the other end was very rude, starting with a threat and then offering a tempting offer.
"If you know what's good for you, I can offer to buy out the videos you have."
Tang Yao wasn't one to back down. Her guesthouse was riddled with surveillance cameras that could film from any angle, so she was afraid of them seeking trouble.
"Oh, okay, I understand."
After saying that, Tang Yao calmly hung up the phone, leaving the person on the other end confused. Did she agree or disagree?
"Got an advertising call? I get these calls all the time. It's so annoying," Du Meijuan said.
Tang Yao nodded in agreement.
Zhang Qing, standing nearby, had a complex expression. Being so close, she had overheard parts of the phone call. Considering the other party's methods, she couldn't help but feel worried.
After everyone left the restaurant, she deliberately lingered until the very last person before saying to Tang Yao, "If he call again, just put all the blame on me. I filmed the video and I uploaded it. It has nothing to do with you, understand? At worst, I'll be implicated again. It's already good enough that I dragged him down with me. You're not in this circle; there's no need for you to get involved in this mess."
"It's okay, Elder Sis Qing. Their arrival is good for delivering evidence. This is a society governed by law; there's nothing to be afraid of." Tang Yao took Zhang Qing's hand, noticing its coldness.
However, she didn't get any action from them, because Ouyang Hua was arrested.
As the incident unfolded, more and more women who had been assaulted by Ouyang Hua came forward, providing evidence in their possession.
Ouyang Hua and his younger brother, who was a vice president, were formally arrested for repeatedly drugging and luring young women.
Tianxiang Entertainment quickly released a statement announcing the dismissal of the vice president and Ouyang Hua, swiftly distancing themselves from the situation. Even so, they were still bombarded with angry comments from netizens and forced to close the comment section.
Meanwhile, the first season of the escape-from-the-city variety show had ended and Huang Yong had gained unprecedented popularity—the kind he hadn't really wanted.
After handling various matters, they managed to save the show and sign new guests.
Everyone had been away from the guesthouse for a few days, except for Lu Bei.
He was currently standing on the balcony of his guesthouse room, making a phone call. His gaze fell on Tang Yao, who was comfortably sunbathing in the building across the path.
"I've taken care of what you asked me to do. They can't turn things around," a steady male voice said on the other end of the line.
"Thank you," Lu Bei replied.
"It's rare for you to ask me for anything. It sounds like you're feeling better lately? Should we have the specialist from the US take a look? Last time you threw a tantrum and kicked the person out. I had to apologize profusely and spend a lot of energy on it."
"...Thanks for your hard work, Elder Brother." After a moment of silence, Lu Bei spoke.
His illness had caused his elder brother, Lu Nan, a lot of worry, but once he got lost in his own world, he couldn't control his emotions.
Lu Nan paused in his signing on the other end of the phone. A faint smile slowly spread across his lips, but his voice remained unchanged: "You're my only younger brother. This is what I should do. When are you coming back for a checkup? This way I can arrange the time."
This time, Lu Bei didn't resist and nodded: "Okay."
He also wanted to know if his stay at the guesthouse for so long had really helped.
"You're so concerned, is it because you've taken a liking to that girl named Zhang Qing?" Feeling more relaxed, Lu Nan began to tease.
Lu Bei frowned, thinking for a moment before remembering that Zhang Qing was the victim in this incident.
"No," he quickly denied.
"Then it's Boss Tang?" Lu Nan's voice was laced with amusement.
"...Don't talk nonsense, I'm hanging up."
Lu Bei frowned and hung up the phone. His gaze returned to Tang Yao. She was talking to a staff member at the guesthouse, a smile playing on her lips.
He looked away and turned to go into his room.
In the evening, there was a knock on the guesthouse door. Xiao Yue happened to be at the door. Opening it, she saw an elderly man dressed in a Tang suit.
The old man didn't exclaim in surprise like the others. Instead, he took out a magnifying glass and began squatting down to examine the flowers and plants in the garden.
"Sir, what are you doing?" Xiao Yue asked, frowning.
The old man ignored her, engrossed in his work, and started muttering to himself.
Author's Note:
The names of the flowers and plants are all random names I made up myself (●--●) (smug hands on hips)