Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Liang Yifan couldn't help but laugh, a bit crazily.

Things weren't always this bad, neither for Su Xingyao nor for him.

Su Xingyao was the first artist he took on when he entered this industry.

As a novice, like all newcomers, he dreamed of nurturing a top star and put his heart and soul into building Su Xingyao's career.

Knowing Su Xingyao's good acting skills, he pulled out all the stops to get him a supporting role in a well-received TV drama.

Su Xingyao didn't disappoint, performing well in his debut show, which quickly made waves.

As Su Xingyao's manager, he felt genuinely proud and happy for his artist's significant attention right from the start.

He clearly understood that with Su Xingyao's good looks and popular pairings, fame was just around the corner.

But soon, Liang Yifan snapped out of this dream and realized that Su Xingyao could not become famous, nor could he be made a star.

Because right after Su Xingyao received positive reviews and fame, the film company's top brass immediately summoned him for a meeting.

Expecting praise, he was met with a whole afternoon of being scolded and threatened.

From that day on, he understood.

Su Xingyao wasn't lucky to have signed with the film company.

On the contrary, the film company was a cage that trapped and confined him.

There were people here he couldn't afford to cross, who didn't want Su Xingyao to succeed, so he couldn't let Su Xingyao make it big in the entertainment industry.

After all, in this company, only Shen Huaixi, the Shen family's eldest son, was worthy of good resources.

And Su Xingyao could only always play second fiddle to him, being pushed down, left out, and looked down on by everyone.

Liang Yifan clearly knew he was not a righteous gentleman.

He always knew how to adapt to the situation.

After being warned, he quickly dropped Su Xingyao, the company's outcast, and took a path that wasn't honorable but was definitely safe within the company.

After all, pouring resources into Shen Huaixi was a sure bet.

So from then on, he joined the ranks of those who ignored Su Xingyao, watching him go from a rising star to someone mired in scandal and universally disliked.

Sometimes he even stirred the pot.

In such a distorted company atmosphere, no one could remain untouched.

Memories drifted into Liang Yifan's mind one by one.

He looked at Qin Mingchuan with interest, finding this man who came to confront him laughably hypocritical.

Who was he showing his shock and heartbreak to now?

If he really cared so much about Su Xingyao, why wait until today to ask these questions?

Liang Yifan found him utterly hypocritical and, after standing up, spoke to Qin Mingchuan with a hint of sarcasm.

"Mr. Qin, you can't say you knew nothing about the company's affairs."

The coffee had spilled on the floor at some point.

An hour had passed since Liang Yifan left.

During this hour, Qin Mingchuan sat frozen like a statue.

The coffee stains on his high-end suit had long dried, but Qin Mingchuan paid no attention.

His mind kept echoing the words Liang Yifan had just said.

He honestly knew nothing about these company matters.

But it was undeniable that all of this was caused by his own inaction.

There had been many chances to catch these problems before.

But over the years, he had only been focused on holding a grudge against Su Xingyao, never once having a proper conversation with him.

Even on the night Su Xingyao fainted, he didn't even ask if he was okay.

If only he had asked that night how Su Xingyao came down with a fever or why he fainted.

He could have easily figured it out.

But he chose not to ask...

Just like how, over the past two years, he had let the company's employees mistreat Su Xingyao at will.

Qin Mingchuan lowered his head, pulled out his phone, and opened the audio his assistant had sent him earlier.

It was Jiang Zihang berating Su Xingyao in front of everyone on set.

Every word in the audio cut deep into Qin Mingchuan's heart.

Back in school, he couldn't bear to hear someone gossip about Su Xingyao behind his back and would immediately confront them.

But now, because of him, Su Xingyao was being walked all over by everyone.

When he had invited Su Xingyao to join the company, Su Xingyao didn't hesitate at all.

On the day they signed the contract, Su Xingyao's eyes sparkled with trust in him.

But in the end, he had let him down.

Jiang Zihang's words continued to play, but Qin Mingchuan couldn't bear to listen any longer and turned off his phone to shut it out.

He had never intended for Su Xingyao to suffer such public humiliation, even though he resented Su Xingyao for using their engagement to tie him down.

"Mr. Qin."

The assistant gave three soft knocks on the door before entering and standing beside Qin Mingchuan.

"The audio online has been handled."

The audio was painful for Qin Mingchuan to listen to, and now it was going viral online. He didn't want Su Xingyao to hear it and get upset, so he had his assistant personally delete the audio.

After answering, the assistant chose his words carefully and truthfully reported the actual situation to Qin Mingchuan.

"All major websites that could delete the content have already done so. However... before I could take care of it, someone had already started deleting these audios."

Qin Mingchuan looked up, "Was it the Shen family behind it?"

The assistant hesitated for a moment before replying, "No."

"The Shen family hasn't been involved in this matter whatsoever."

Qin Mingchuan didn't press further.

His mind automatically flashed to someone—the person who had taken Su Xingyao away that night.

After the incident escalated, Jiang Zihang, under various pressures, publicly apologized to Su Xingyao.

*

Qin Mingchuan had initially planned to remove Jiang Zihang from the production and let Su Xingyao take the lead role as compensation.

However, he later learned from the production team that Su Xingyao's scenes had already been completed, and he had already left the set.

When Su Xingyao returned from the set with his luggage, the first thing he saw was Lu Jiuxu in casual attire.

He was carrying a bag with tents, heading towards the garage.

This was the first time Su Xingyao had seen Lu Jiuxu out of formal attire.

Feeling a bit awkward, he stood still, staring at him for several seconds, making sure he wasn't mistaken.

Maybe because it had been a while since they last met, Su Xingyao thought Lu Jiuxu seemed different today.

Without the suit, he seemed more relaxed and youthful, looking strikingly handsome, completely different from before.

It wasn't until Su Xingyao noticed the strands of hair on Lu Jiuxu's forehead that he suddenly realized he had always seen him as a big boss.

Actually, Lu Jiuxu was only a year or two older than him.

"You're back."

Lu Jiuxu had seen Su Xingyao from a distance.

But for some reason, Su Xingyao just stood there, stunned at the entrance.

Since Su Xingyao didn't come over, Lu Jiuxu changed direction and walked up to him.

Su Xingyao finally snapped back to reality, his gaze falling on the tent in Lu Jiuxu's hand.

Curious, he asked, "Are you heading out for fun today, Mr. Lu?"

Lu Jiuxu replied straightforwardly.

"Yes."

After saying that, he glanced at Su Xingyao's luggage and extended an invitation.

"Want to go camping together?"

"What?"

Seeing that Su Xingyao hadn't caught on, Lu Jiuxu patiently explained the reason.

"There's a meteor shower tonight."