Chapter 89

Chapter 89

At first, when Chu Zian was saying those things, most netizens felt something was off, but hadn't fully grasped it yet.

It wasn’t until Su Xingyao made that call to the police that more and more people began to sense that something was wrong.

The production team was also shocked by this sudden turn of events.

The director, who heard this shocking revelation in front of the monitor, reacted quickly.

Anticipating a major incident, he immediately shouted for the on-site staff to rush forward and restrain Chu Zian, who was still making threats to kill.

At the same time, the broadcast was quickly cut off.

Soon, police arrived at the recording site.

Meanwhile, netizens who didn’t know what was happening were left staring at the suddenly blacked-out live stream, totally confused.

“What Chu Zian just said… is it for real?”

“I feel like Su Xingyao’s call to the police wasn’t just part of the show, but he actually dialed 110!”

“Full Retreat,” being a hugely popular variety show, had a large audience watching during the live broadcast.

Therefore, the final scene between Chu Zian and Su Xingyao was seen by countless viewers.

Netizens, finally realizing the severity of the incident, quickly took to various forums to discuss the matter.

Topic: “OMG, OMG, OMG, during the live broadcast of ‘Full Retreat,’ Chu Zian admitted on air that he had pushed Su Xingyao off a cliff!!!!!!!”

This incident was so shocking that those who missed the show couldn’t believe it.

“What what??”

“Chu Zian pushed Su Xingyao off a cliff????”

“Are we talking about an actual push???”

“Please don’t say it was just part of the show…”

“It’s not just part of the show, Su Xingyao actually called the police!!”

“Really, really, Chu Zian himself admitted it on air…”

“!!!!!!!”

A star admitting to murder on air hit like a bombshell, shocking everyone online.

After all, people have been following celebrity gossip for years, but they’ve never seen anything like this.

This is absolutely unprecedented!!

Soon, hashtags like #SuXingyaoCallsPolice, #SuXingyaoChuZian, and #ChuZianAdmitsPushingSuXingyaoOffCliff shot up to the top three trending topics.

Within these hashtags, quick-thinking netizens also shared the video of the last exchange between Su Xingyao and Chu Zian, which they had quickly recorded.

Seeing this video, viewers were not just shocked—they felt they’d seen something truly out of the ordinary.

"Our entertainment industry keeps lowering the bar, time and time again."

"I thought tax evasion, surrogacy scandals, affairs, and even cases of assaulting minors were bad enough, but now we’re dealing with intentional murder..."

"Pushing someone off a cliff... If Chu Zian hadn’t admitted it himself, I’d have thought it was just a made-up story."

"Wow, I was just watching a mildly creepy variety show to pass the time, but who knew it’d turn into a real-life crime drama..."

As the hashtag trended, short video platforms and news outlets were quick to jump on the story.

Within hours, the buzz and discussion around this incident snowballed, growing bigger and bigger.

As a result, netizens, unsure of the truth but hooked, took matters into their own hands.

Almost instantly, the old incident where Chu Zian and Jiang Xunche trashed Su Xingyao resurfaced.

On top of that, everyone dissected every frame of Chu Zian and Su Xingyao’s conversation in the show, turning into armchair detectives to dig up their past interactions.

Through all this digging, they actually uncovered some juicy details.

"Whoa, last February, Su Xingyao actually filmed a show with Chu Zian at that cliff..."

"And the creepiest part? After filming, the show’s team put out a statement claiming Su Xingyao left without notice, acting like a diva."

"I remember that hashtag. Su Xingyao got dragged hard back then, with people using it as an excuse to tell him to leave the industry..."

"After that, Su Xingyao pretty much vanished from the scene for months before making a comeback."

"The more you think about it, the creepier it gets. The deeper you dig, the more you uncover."

"So, Su Xingyao wasn’t being a diva back then—he was actually murdered by Chu Zian, right???"

"Anyone remember this? After Su Xingyao came back from his hiatus, didn’t Jiang Zihang push him into the water during filming?"

"Several crew members spoke up, saying Su Xingyao got a serious infection from the wound and had to be hospitalized..."

"People were dying to know how Su Xingyao got hurt... Could that wound have been from falling off the cliff?"

"Holy crap, it all lines up!!!!"

The netizens who uncovered all this were so stunned they were at a loss for words.

Honestly, the whole thing was so huge and beyond belief that most people were speechless.

Meanwhile, Chu Zian’s die-hard fans insisted that no matter how dumb he might be, he’d never kill anyone.

Especially since, so far, the 'Quan Shen Er Tui' team, Lanxing’s official account, and Chu Zian’s camp have stayed quiet, so they’re doubling down on defending him.

"There’s no proof yet, so maybe stop spreading rumors and dragging people’s names through the mud."

"Murder’s a crime, but so is spreading lies, got it?"

"I know Chu Zian. He’s a law-abiding guy and would never do something like this. I’m telling certain fans to stop causing drama."

"Isn’t it obvious the show’s just doing this for clout?"

"@Quan Shen Er Tui, isn’t this a little desperate for attention?"

"No need to throw someone under the bus just to play the victim."

However, three days later, a local public security announcement directly shattered the illusions of those fans who repeatedly claimed that Chu Zian was a law-abiding citizen who would never commit murder.

The public security department worked efficiently, and the announcement, written in blue and white, was detailed and clear.

It meticulously recorded the fact that Chu Zian, due to emotional disputes, pushed Su Xingyao off a cliff during a break in the filming of a variety show in February last year, taking advantage of no one paying attention. The announcement also stated that his actions constituted suspected intentional homicide, and he has now been detained.

Seeing this announcement from the public security, netizens were so shocked that they dropped their proverbial melons.

"Oh my God, although I was mentally prepared from all the gossip, I am still deeply shocked to see this announcement."

"Intentional homicide... it’s actually intentional homicide!!"

"Although there are many scumbags in the entertainment industry, and this is not the first criminal case, intentional homicide... this is the first time I’ve seen something like this firsthand."

"And it was admitted outright by the person involved on the show!"

"This world is just too crazy."

"@Chu Zian fans, I thought I knew what kind of person Zian was... but your Zian really killed someone."

"Chu Zian's fans trying to defend him? Come out and speak! You kept claiming Su Xingyao was playing the victim, but this is the public security personally confirming that your idol killed someone!!"

"Chu Zian is really too vicious, what does his fight with that jerk have to do with Su Xingyao!! He didn’t dare to kill the scumbag, so he killed an innocent person?"

"Right, it was already revealed before that it was Chu Zian's boyfriend who was showing off to Su Xingyao all on his own, who didn’t even pay attention to Jiang Xunche, and Chu Zian wanted to kill him over that, really stupid and vicious."

"The key is that after killing someone, he calmly bought articles to smear Su Xingyao for being arrogant, causing Su Xingyao to be dragged through the mud again."

"Oh my god, oh my god, how can someone be so vile and cruel?"

"Having liked Chu Zian before is simply my internet shame..."

"Trash like Chu Zian should be sentenced to death immediately, people like him don’t deserve to live."

"Disgusting +1, sentence to death immediately."

Once the truth came out, Chu Zian's fans didn’t dare say a word.

Instead, Chu Zian himself, who had manipulated public opinion to make netizens believe and insult Su Xingyao to leave the entertainment industry, was now facing backlash.

Netizens directly started an online petition, hoping that such a disgusting person would be sentenced to death immediately.

Of course, Chu Zian could not see the netizens’ insults and ‘well-wishes’ at the moment.

After being repeatedly interrogated in prison, he was now crying and kneeling on the ground, pleading with the police and the judge for a chance to turn his life around.

"Please, give me another chance, I really didn’t mean it..."

Chu Zian, knowing the result he was about to face, cried so much that he was unrecognizable, no longer the person who had the audacity to want to kill Su Xingyao again on the show.

Now, he deeply regretted killing someone for a philandering scumbag.

However, as a public figure, this incident was too damaging.

No matter how much Chu Zian begged and regretted, no matter how heart-wrenchingly he cried.

In the end, he would still receive the retribution and punishment he deserved.

Justice may be slow, but it always comes.

Chu Zian will face the consequences for everything he has done.

After venting their anger at Chu Zian, some netizens became curious about why Su Xingyao only now reported the incident.

However, the police did not disclose specific details, and no one dared to ask Su Xingyao about it due to the immense trauma he suffered. Therefore, netizens could only speculate.

"Come on, falling off a cliff is serious. Su Xingyao is lucky to be alive. The psychological scars must be huge. From what he said on the show, it was so tragic. Probably his mind blocked out the memory as a defense mechanism after waking up. Then, when he revisited the place during the show, he suddenly remembered."

"Besides, Su Xingyao is the victim here. He can report it whenever he wants."

Among various speculations, the amnesia theory became widely accepted among netizens.

However, the truth is irrelevant now since the real culprit has been caught.

Now that the truth is out, Su Xingyao is clearly the real victim, and people feel immense sympathy for his past ordeal.

"Honestly, I can't bring myself to rewatch the part where Su Xingyao spoke on the show. It was too tragic. I thought he was just acting, but it was actually his real experience."

"Just thinking about what he said breaks my heart. Being alone at the bottom of a cliff, calling for help but no one answered, waiting to die while injured."

"I feel so bad for Su Xingyao. Surviving a fall from such a height is a miracle..."

"Ugh, I'm losing it. These scumbags deserve to be destroyed. They not only paid for articles to smear and harass him but also tried to kill him."

"Su Xingyao's life has been a nightmare. Being intentionally murdered, and then being misunderstood and cursed by netizens while he was fighting for his life..."

"If I were in his shoes, I'd lose my mind and want this damn world to end."

"Back then, I joined in and bashed him, thinking he really abandoned the show... Who could have guessed the truth was this bad? I'm really sorry, Su Xingyao."

"How much psychological trauma must Su Xingyao have..."

"I keep feeling so heartbroken for Su Xingyao."

Su Xingyao's experience was so tragic that even strangers felt sorry for him. Naturally, those who cared about him were nearly driven to madness when they found out.

Especially Wen Ningshu and Shen Liangyu, who were once Su Xingyao's family.

After learning about Su Xingyao's ordeal, Wen Ningshu fell ill and couldn't get up.

When she woke up in the hospital, the first thing she did was take out her phone and, based on the timeline netizens had uncovered, desperately searched through her call history with Su Xingyao.

"What's going on?" Shen Liangyu asked, puzzled by his wife's intense focus on her phone.

Wen Ningshu stared at her phone, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Memories that had once been blurry now flooded back to her like a tidal wave.

With shaking hands, she showed Shen Liangyu the call record she had found on her phone, and she was on the verge of falling apart.

"That day... after Xing Yao fell off the cliff, he actually called me."

Wen Ningshu spoke these words in a breathy voice, one word at a time.

After saying this, as if triggered by something, her withered hands tightly grasped Shen Liangyu's sleeve, and she repeated the sentence.

"After Xing Yao fell off the cliff... he called me for help."

Finally grasping what Wen Ningshu was saying, Shen Liangyu's eyes flashed with shock.

He looked at Wen Ningshu in disbelief, his lips quivering.

"What... what..."

"You mentioned Xing Yao..."

Wen Ningshu gazed at the call record in anguish, burying her face in her hands and sobbing uncontrollably.

"He reached out to me for help..."

"He was asking for help..."

Realizing that she had once missed her child's cry for help, Wen Ningshu struck herself repeatedly in regret.

Consumed by sorrow and guilt, her voice was so strained she could hardly form words.

But consumed by remorse, she couldn't help but admit her past harshness to Shen Liangyu.

"But I didn't listen to what he was saying at all, instead, I berated him severely."

She chastised him for his irresponsibility, for shaming her, for not being as thoughtful as Shen Huaixi.

She even brought up his most sensitive issue, the adopted son Shen Huaixi, to belittle, accuse, and question him... mercilessly crushing his self-esteem.

Back then, she didn't listen to a single word, instead, she unleashed her fury on Su Xingyao, who was pleading for help in desperation.

And now, every word she had spoken then felt like daggers stabbing her heart, leaving wounds that would never mend.

Every cruel word she had uttered now tormented her.

Wen Ningshu kept replaying Su Xingyao's feeble cry for help.

Her tear-stained eyes remained glued to the call record.

At this moment, Wen Ningshu longed desperately for a time machine to take her back to that moment.

If only she could turn back time...

If only she could turn back time, she would have raced to his rescue without a second thought, sparing him from such agony.

Wen Ningshu couldn't hold on any longer and crumpled weakly into Shen Liangyu's embrace.

"I'm so wretched..."

"My child, he was calling out to me for help..."

She held up the phone to Shen Liangyu's ear.

"Did you hear... he said the branches had torn his skin, pierced his abdomen, and he was bleeding profusely, his clothes soaked in blood..."

"He said there were wild beasts nearby trying to tear his flesh, he was so scared..."

"He said, 'Mom, it hurts so much, please come save me...'"

"My Xing Yao, my child, how much pain he must have been in."

Wen Ningshu cried out in agony.

"But what exactly did I say to him back then..."

"I didn’t listen to a single word he said; I just kept berating him non-stop."

He must have been utterly desperate...

After the child fell off the cliff, the desperate call for help he made to me was coldly and ruthlessly hung up.

I cut off his lifeline...

And completely severed the mother-son bond between us.

So from that moment on, he left this place for good...

Cut all ties, never to see each other again.

Wen Ningshu couldn’t forgive herself in the slightest.

She couldn’t forgive herself for the harsh words she’d spoken to her child, nor for everything she’d done to him over the years.

Wen Ningshu, emotionally shattered, was completely beside herself.

Finally, Shen Liangyu called a doctor to administer a sedative. Only then did she finally fall into a deep sleep.

*

Chu Zian’s incident caused quite a stir back then, but the internet moves on to new events and trends every day.

Soon after the incident faded, people stopped talking about it.

As the weather turned colder, the New Year spirit grew stronger.

Finally, the lunar New Year was drawing to a close.

As the first heavy snow fell, Lanxing Entertainment, newly established that year, held its first grand annual meeting.

As Lanxing Entertainment’s top and only artist, Su Xingyao was, of course, invited to attend.

The annual meeting wasn’t large, but it was an intimate gathering of insiders. The atmosphere was cozy and laid-back.

Before they knew it, several hours had flown by.

By the time dinner ended and they stepped out, it was nearly midnight.

Lu Jiuxu headed to the underground garage to get the car, while Su Xingyao waited for him just outside the hotel.

The temperature had dropped significantly in the evening.

Su Xingyao, sensitive to the cold, pulled his down jacket up to shield his face.

Just as he finished doing this, he suddenly felt as if someone was watching him.

Following this feeling, he glanced to the left.

There, in the dark night, a woman stood a few meters away, her gaze fixed on him.

After a brief look, Su Xingyao gently turned his gaze back.

A few seconds later, headlights flashed, and Su Xingyao spotted Lu Jiuxu’s car.

He hurriedly jogged towards the car.

As he walked, he passed by the woman.

As they passed each other, the phone in her hand fell to the ground.

Su Xingyao slowly came to a halt and eventually turned around to pick up the phone for her.

He courteously returned the item to its owner.

"Ma'am, you dropped your phone."

Hearing this familiar voice, Wen Ningshu, who had been waiting there for hours, felt tears welling up in her eyes.

She didn’t take the phone, instead, she gazed gently at the person before her.

Finally, she couldn't hold back and trembled as she called out that name.

"Xing Yao..."

Hearing this, Su Xingyao looked up and gave a calm glance at the person before him.

The person before him no longer exuded the elegance and nobility of the past.

She appeared much older now.

Her once jet-black hair had now turned half white.

Under the night sky, Su Xingyao's eyes remained calm.

He remained silent, simply placing the phone into her hand.

Wen Ningshu clutched the phone, gazing sorrowfully at her child.

Tonight, she finally got the chance to face Su Xingyao.

But this time, when she met Su Xingyao's gaze, Wen Ningshu no longer had the courage to ask him to come home with her.

The cold wind swept away the tears in her eyes.

She gazed at Su Xingyao with remorse and finally uttered the long-overdue words.

"My dear, I'm sorry."