Chapter 41

Chapter 41

The aquarium had its own restaurant, where diners could look to the side and see colorful little fish swimming in the underwater world.

Lin Tingyue rested her chin on her hand, marveling at nature's magical palette.

"They even have mermaid shows???"

Lin Tingyue stood up, pressing her face nearly against the glass. The water’s shimmering light played across her face as she stared intently.

The performers were a male and a female mermaid.

“Wow, their bodies are amazing.”

Ying An, who had also stood up beside Lin Tingyue, automatically looked down at himself.

When he looked up again, he realized Lin Tingyue was no longer watching the mermaids—she was staring right at him.

Ying An asked awkwardly, “What’s wrong?”

Suddenly, a piercing scream erupted from behind them, making even the restaurant violinist stop playing.

Only then did Ying An notice that Lin Tingyue wasn’t looking at him, but at the person kneeling on the floor behind him.

Ying An glanced over and frowned. “What’s he doing here?”

Lin Tingyue asked, “You know him?”

Ying An pulled out a chair for Lin Tingyue and waited for her to sit before returning to his own seat. He nodded. “You might say that.”

“Is he in showbiz too?”

Ying An replied calmly, “Yes. He’s worked with me and your second brother.”

“That tone… are you enemies?”

“Second Brother and Mr. Ying are both top-tier stars. If this person has collaborated with them, does that mean he’s also a top-tier star?”

Ying An explained, “He got blacklisted. Just a couple of days ago.”

Lin Tingyue: “Huh?”

Meanwhile, the man, an actor named Lu Zhuosong, fell to his knees with a loud sob, grabbing at the pant leg of the man in front of him, sniveling and begging, “I’m begging you, Director Yu, give me another chance! I won’t make the same mistake again. You can’t blacklist me just for a small error, Director Yu!”

It was the busy lunch rush, and the restaurant was crowded. The scene had people whispering.

“What’s happening?”

“Hey, isn’t that Lu Zhuosong, the actor who just got blacklisted?”

“Huh? Blacklisted? What happened?”

“Looking at him like this… is there another side to this?”

“Oh my god, he was a top-tier star too. Can someone like that just disappear like that?”

Hearing these comments, Lu Zhuosong hammed it up even more, whimpering, “You can’t just do this because I offended you…”

Sure enough, the crowd ate up his dramatic pause.

"Seriously? Just for offending a director?"

"Is showbiz really this cutthroat now?"

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to all, this was being livestreamed.

[OMG I KNEW Zhuosong was set up!]

[These industry big shots are out of control. They can just blackball someone because they offended them??? Can they make someone disappear next?]

[If even celebrities get treated like this, what about regular people?]

[This is insane. They need to investigate ASAP. The way that guy’s acting so calm—it feels like he’s done this before.]

[Wait, no one's looking into this?!]

Oh, they're investigating alright.

Lin Tingyue wasn’t expecting to catch drama while having dinner at the aquarium. She’d already pulled out her phone to start digging.

"Lu Zhuosong?"

"This has nothing to do with Yu Xingsi—you've got the wrong person."

The crowd, hearing the thoughts but not knowing the truth, froze. Got the wrong person?

How exactly?

"Lu Zhuosong may still be in the spotlight, but he's definitely past his prime. He couldn't stand being overshadowed by newcomers and fading into obscurity. After discussing it with his agent, he went for a Hail Mary—and actually caught the attention of a sugar mama who took him under her wing."

A Hail Mary?

A sugar mama?

Took him under her wing?

Wait... are they implying what I think they're implying?

"Last month, Lu Zhuosong used his connection with the sugar mama to land the lead role in a prestige project—directed by Yu Xingsi. But ever since joining the production, the sugar mama started growing colder. Two days ago, she announced she had a new favorite and had moved on from Lu Zhuosong—which was followed by his sudden blackballing."

"Lu Zhuosong thought that new favorite was Yu Xingsi. Yu Xingsi is a maverick up-and-coming director who hated having Lu Zhuosong shoved down his throat. They clashed constantly—over dozens of little things. Lu Zhuosong became convinced Yu Xingsi had turned the sugar mama against him, which led to his downfall. So when he found out Yu Xingsi was coming here with his girlfriend today, he set up this whole confrontation."

Those who had been rooting for Lu Zhuosong were stunned. Whether it was their imagination or not, when they looked at him again, he suddenly looked like a different person.

And it had only been minutes.

"But unfortunately, Yu Xingsi wasn't the sugar mama’s new favorite."

Wait WHAT???

So Lu Zhuosong had been targeting the wrong person the entire time?

"The sugar mama never had a new favorite in the first place. Even if she did, blackballing him would’ve been overkill. The real reason was much simpler: Lu Zhuosong already had a girlfriend long before he ever met the sugar mama."

"He kept telling his girlfriend that this was a critical moment in his career, and that his contract had a no-dating clause. At 30-something, even getting married wouldn’t have been a big deal with the company..."

"One day, his girlfriend saw him on a date with the sugar mama. She wouldn't let it go, and so Lu Zhuosong..."

"Planning to kill someone?"

A scream rang out from the crowd. Lu Zhuosong mistakenly thought his goal had been achieved. This time, he came fully prepared—he even hired reporters to livestream the entire event. "Just wait—you're going to hell!!!"

A flash of hatred crossed Lu Zhuosong's face, but when he looked up again, he put on the act of a desperate man. "I beg you, Director Yu, give me a chance to survive."

Strangely, this time, no one around him spoke up in his defense.

Didn’t matter—as long as the internet backed him.

As expected, viewers watching the livestream were furious.

[OMG Yu Xingsi, are you trying to drive him to suicide?!]

[How can anyone be this cruel?]

[He just wants a way out—what’s wrong with that? Acting is everything to him!!!]

Lin Tingyue just shook her head.

"Lu Zhuosong is begging Yu Xingsi for a way out now, but back then, why didn’t he spare his girlfriend? His ex was driven to depression by online bullying because of him, and he kept telling her to die. And then… well."

What???

"His ex’s sister works here at the aquarium. If we can find her…"

Yes!

If they could just find his ex’s sister, Lu Zhuosong’s true colors would be exposed!

Among the crowd was an aquarium staff member who listened closely, realizing it sounded way too familiar—it reminded her too much of what happened to her friend’s younger sister.

Wait… was it…?

Wu Manrong clenched her fists, glaring at Lu Zhuosong still putting on his act nearby, then quietly slipped away from the crowd.

Minutes later, Zhan Xiuxin—who had just finished her mermaid performance and changed clothes—marched up, yanked Lu Zhuosong by the collar, and slapped him hard—twice.

The slaps not only stunned Lu Zhuosong but also shocked everyone in the livestream.

[???]

[What the hell is happening now?]

[I told you to wait for the full story. You jumped the gun—now look who’s exposed.]

"You piece of shit! You worthless bastard! You monster! Bring my sister back! Bring her back! If it weren’t for you, she wouldn’t have attempted suicide, wouldn’t still be hospitalized! Aren’t you afraid of karma?"

At the memory of her sister, Zhan Xiuxin broke down completely, choking on sobs.

[I remember reading about that—a civilian girl bullied by a celebrity boyfriend’s fans until she tried to take her own life...]

[I remember seeing that too.]

[So it really was Lu Zhuosong?]

Lu Zhuosong never saw karma coming this fast—now, he was the one headed for hell.

Lin Tingyue and Ying An walked out of the underwater-themed café and stood under the sunlight.

Lin Tingyue glanced at Ying An. She couldn’t shake the feeling that his face looked pale and off. Concerned, she asked, “Mr. Ying, are you alright?”

Ying An coughed lightly. “I’m fine.”

Fine?

Lin Tingyue wasn’t convinced.

“It seems like your expression changed when Lu Zhuosong showed up. Could it be…?” she mused, then realized, “Oh my god! Did Lu Zhuosong actually try to drag Second Brother and Mr. Ying into a shipping scandal before?”

“Second Brother and Mr. Ying both refused, so he threw a fit and sent armies of trolls to drag them through the mud.”

Lin Tingyue turned around with a stern look on her face. Ying An asked, “Miss Lin, where are you going?”

Lin Tingyue snapped, “I’m going to give Lu Zhuosong a couple of slaps.”

Ying An chuckled and pulled her back. “Miss Lin, drop it. The law will handle him. No matter how angry you are, don’t sink to his level.”

“But you’re not even mad?”

“I already was. Now I’m just calm.”

Lin Tingyue let out a small laugh.

Back home, Lin Tingyue decided it was time to look out for her second brother—starting with herself.

Lin Chengyan was scrolling through news about Lu Zhuosong’s career implosion, basking in the vindication of watching a detested person finally exposed to the world.

He looked up to see Lin Tingyue beaming at him.

Lin Chengyan: “?”

Lin Tingyue said, “Second Brother, even though you’re a hopeless romantic, that doesn’t mean anyone can hurt you.”

Lin Chengyan: “…Lin Tingyue, that hurts, you know.”

Lin Tingyue: “…”

“Forget it!”

She stormed off. Lin Chengyan, in turn, sighed in relief.

Dinner was extra fancy—a special feast made for Lin Chengyan since he was gearing up to shoot a new drama.

At the table, light conversation flowed.

Bai Yaxin asked, “Who are you working with this time?”

Lin Chengyan paused to think. “The biggest name would probably be Mu Nanzhe.”

“Ah? That Mu Nanzhe who knew his wife was cheating but got off on hearing… the sounds of her and her lover together?”

Wait—Huh?

Lin Chengyan looked completely lost. He had no idea what she was talking about.