Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Fang Shanyou was clearly fuming at the attitudes of Ning Yichu and He Shixia. He simply stopped pretending, plopped down on the chair provided by the crew, and continued to argue vehemently, painting himself as a victim of feudalistic trash—

"When I was eighteen, I wanted to leave the village and seek my fortune in the big city, but my family wouldn't allow it. I begged and pleaded, and they finally agreed to give me travel and living expenses, but on the condition that I give them a grandson. I had to get married as they dictated first, and at least not until my wife was pregnant could I leave."

"Just turned eighteen and able to get married??"

"By the way, where is Fang Shanyou's hometown? Was it still that backward seven or eight years ago?"

【Oh, poor 'Glory-to-the-Ancestors' has suffered so much 'injustice'!】

"Damn, what do you mean 'you give them a grandson'? Can you even give birth? It's your wife who gives birth. You make it sound like all the credit is yours with just one sentence. Disgusting."

"Um... if Fang Shanyou was only eighteen when he got married, then his wife might very well have been a minor?"

"Maybe the police should go investigate their village..."

Fang Shanyou: "My wife is from the same village as me. Back then, neither of us was of legal age, so we couldn't get a marriage certificate. We just had a wedding banquet, and that was considered being married. A few months later, she found out she was pregnant, and I finally got my hands on the money from my parents and came to City A."

"I know, you all must think I'm a monster for leaving my pregnant wife behind. But I had to go out and make a living! Otherwise, how would she and the child eat! I'm not that heartless; otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten the marriage certificate with her later. When she wanted to bring the child to live in City A, I arranged everything for her. I didn't abandon the wife who struggled through hard times with me like Chen Shimei! She's living a comfortable life now, all on the money I earn!"

"I admit, I did cheat. But I just explained that my marriage was an arranged marriage. Supporting her and the child is me doing my duty, right? I couldn't help but find true love—what's wrong with that! Do you want me to just abandon my wife and children? The mother and her daughters couldn't survive without me!"

Fang Shanyou grew more self-righteous as he spoke: "My girlfriend is indeed my fan, but that doesn't mean it isn't true love. Otherwise, would we have stayed together for years without breaking up?"

This time, He Shixia didn't interrupt. He waited until Fang Shanyou finished before speaking: "You're quite good at sophistry. Why don't you talk about how your wife got pregnant?"

Hearing this, Fang Shanyou's heart sank. Although he tried to reassure himself—"In this matter, even Ning Anxia only knows I'm married with a daughter and cheated with a fan. Ning Yichu and He Shixia couldn't possibly know so many details"—He Shixia's tone of questioning made it impossible for him to feel at ease.

He brazenly retorted: "Teacher He, that's a strange question. Are you asking about my private affairs with my wife?"

He Shixia looked at him coldly and stated bluntly: "Your wife was your elementary school classmate. But unlike you, who had 'good fortune,' although she had excellent grades, her family didn't let her continue her studies. When you were eighteen, your family demanded you get married but didn't specify a candidate; they let you choose. You thought of her."

"She originally didn't want to marry you. You tricked her by saying it would be a fake marriage anyway, since you couldn't get a certificate. Once the banquet was held, your parents would let you leave the village, and then you could both go to the city to make your own ways, acting as if the marriage never happened. She also wanted to escape her family, so she believed you. Little did she know that after the banquet, you raped her."

Knowing He Shixia wouldn't make baseless accusations, the other guests and live-stream viewers were instantly shocked and furious upon hearing this.

Fang Shanyou put up a desperate resistance: "You're lying! I... such serious slander, He Shixia, can you produce evidence! I'll sue you!"

"My lawyer welcomes it," He Shixia replied. "As for evidence, the reason you agreed to get the marriage certificate, register the child, and arrange for them to settle in City A is precisely because your wife has evidence of you raping her, right? Video evidence, not just once."

Fang Shanyou's face turned deathly pale.

As He Shixia continued his account, the listeners learned more about the process and details—

After being raped for the first time, Fang Shanyou's current wife realized she had been deceived. The fake marriage, leaving the village after the banquet—all lies. After her initial panic and resentment, she thought of recording videos as evidence, hoping to sue Fang Shanyou in the future.

The phone used to record the evidence was actually given to his wife by Fang Shanyou out of "guilt" after the first rape—a second-hand phone he had previously used and discarded.

During the first video recording, Fang Shanyou's wife used tearful accusations to coax him into admitting the fact of the first rape. Her initial purpose for recording was simply to get his admission. But she didn't expect that while Fang Shanyou was expressing remorse, he raped her again... which actually made the evidence more complete.

She soon became pregnant afterward. The next day, Fang Shanyou left the village. Only then did she learn about the agreement between Fang Shanyou and his parents. But she had no choice; she could only stay in the village resentfully and give birth to their first daughter.

Having a daughter didn't satisfy Fang Shanyou's parents, so they called him back to continue having children with his wife.

In terms of career luck, Fang Shanyou indeed had a smoother start than many newcomers. At that time, he had been in City A for less than a year but had already been noticed by an agent who planned to package him. So Fang Shanyou couldn't afford to leave then, afraid that if he was gone for months, the agent wouldn't want him anymore.

To placate his parents and prevent them from coming to City A to pressure him, he even borrowed money from a roommate—one of his current teammates—who was signed by the same agent. He sent the money home, saying he was making big money outside and was too busy to return.

Fang Shanyou's parents, receiving money from their son for the first time, were immediately appeased.

But two years later, their desire for a grandson became unbearable. They kept urging him. This time, sending money didn't work, so Fang Shanyou had to return to the village angrily and vented all his rage on his wife.

That time, Fang Shanyou didn't have enough vacation time to stay long and left in a hurry after a few days. During that period, his wife still recorded evidence. To Fang Shanyou's parents' delight, she became pregnant again during those few days, renewing their hope for a grandson.

However, this child was also a daughter, so Fang Shanyou's wife's treatment in her in-laws' home worsened. Fang Shanyou's parents continued to pressure him to return to his hometown to have a son.

At that time, Fang Shanyou was notified by his agent that he was being slotted into a second talent show—he had already participated in one before but failed to debut. The company hadn't helped him then, but this time, seeing his potential, they promised to ensure he made it into the top fifteen and would help him debut in a group.

During this critical period, Fang Shanyou naturally didn't dare to leave. He managed to persuade his parents to let his wife come to City A instead, get pregnant there, and then return. His parents initially wanted to come too, but after some coaxing and pressure from Fang Shanyou, they gave up the idea.

—This was the real reason Fang Shanyou's wife and two daughters came to City A in the first place, not because Fang Shanyou had a sudden attack of conscience after becoming successful and actively brought them out.

Fang Shanyou originally thought that since the first two times resulted in pregnancy so easily, this time shouldn't take long either. He planned to send his wife and daughters back to the village as soon as she was confirmed pregnant.

But his wife, having finally seized the opportunity to leave, refused to go back. She secretly used the grocery money Fang Shanyou gave her to buy contraceptive pills. This continued until Fang Shanyou grew suspicious about why she still wasn't pregnant and discovered the pills.

By then, Fang Shanyou's talent show had already started airing. His wife knew the video evidence she held could threaten him, so she presented it, successfully forcing Fang Shanyou to agree to get the marriage certificate, register the two children, and let them stay in City A permanently.

Fang Shanyou's wife had no education, no work experience, and was raising two children. After coming to City A, she knew it would be difficult to start a new life on her own. Moreover, both her own family and her in-laws back home wouldn't let her go. Since she couldn't leave, she wanted at least a legally recognized status. And since Fang Shanyou could earn money now, naturally, she would spend his money.

This continued until not long ago this year, when the long-term contraceptive pills unexpectedly failed, and Fang Shanyou's wife became pregnant again—despite Fang Shanyou constantly belittling and disparaging her, he held the mentality that "not sleeping with her would be a waste." So whenever he had time to visit the place where his wife and daughters lived, he would force himself on her, undeterred even by her threats of exposing the videos.

And his wife, in order to build enough confidence to eventually divorce, couldn't afford to expose the videos earlier.

—Amid Fang Shanyou's impotent rage, He Shixia finished exposing all these matters.

"Oh my god, rapists should die."

"Fang Shanyou's whole family and his wife's family should all die, ahhh, what a disgusting bunch of people."

"If there's video evidence, can they sue Fang Shanyou for rape?"

"Can marital rape be prosecuted? With only video evidence, can the earlier rapes still be prosecuted? I feel the chances aren't high, though."

"At the very least, the video evidence can ruin Fang Shanyou's reputation. And a rapist publicly exposed like this can't possibly continue in the entertainment industry. He doesn't have deep seniority, and if he has no background besides his signed company..."

"Even if he has backing, there's no need to worry. After all, who in the industry has more influence than Film Emperor He? He's from the He Group, and Ning Yichu even has thirteen percent of the shares. It's obvious they don't intend to let Fang Shanyou off."

"They can sue. Video evidence is even more advantageous. And since Fang Shanyou's wife persisted in recording video evidence, she might have preserved other physical evidence from that time, like photos of injuries. In short, don't give up on reporting to the police just because the chances seem slim."

"However, I'm a bit curious. How do He Shixia and Ning Yichu know so many details, even the thoughts of the people involved?"

Fang Shanyou was also muttering to himself: "How... how do you know so much... I know! It's Lin Jiao! Did Lin Jiao ask you to retaliate against me! She's the one who told you these things, that's how you know so much about my past, even that I skipped classes. She must be in cahoots with you. Otherwise, how would you know she has evidence? You..."

Lin Jiao was Fang Shanyou's wife's name. He Shixia hadn't mentioned it earlier, but now Fang Shanyou blurted it out himself.

Fang Shanyou said through gritted teeth: "Is Lin Jiao crazy! What good does ruining me do for her! If she wanted money, wanted a divorce, she could have just told me! I've wanted to get rid of her for a long time. Now... even if I die, I'll drag her down with me. She won't get to divorce and escape me!"

"Sigh, that's true. Now that this is out, what if Fang Shanyou refuses to divorce? It feels like there wasn't enough consideration."

【Just listen to Fang Shanyou's nonsense now. After being threatened with the videos, he still committed marital rape because otherwise he felt he'd be 'losing out.' How could he possibly agree to divorce so easily? Probably, just like with the rapes, he thought his wife wouldn't dare to actually expose the videos because she wouldn't want to lose her current 'good life.' He won't let her have her way.】

"Right. From the moment Fang Shanyou's wife, having no other way out, could only first demand the marriage certificate, although she threatened Fang Shanyou at the time, it also essentially tied herself to him. Fang Shanyou, forced into getting the certificate, definitely wouldn't grant her wish for a divorce just because she asks."

"When she found out she was pregnant again recently, didn't she already confront you, wanting to abort the child and get a divorce? You didn't agree then. What are you pretending about now?" He Shixia said coldly.

"She felt that with her experience living in City A these past few years, the skills she developed, plus some startup funds from you in the divorce, would be enough to start a new life. She wanted to cut ties with you. But you refused, afraid that once she divorced and had no more constraints, she would directly expose the video evidence."

"You also threatened her with her two daughters to force her to have the third child."

In her past life, Lin Jiao still chose to secretly abort the third child, and this only made Fang Shanyou even angrier.

By then, he realized he could use the divorce to counter her with threats, saying that if she dared disobey or expose the video evidence, he would hound her and absolutely refuse to divorce. In that situation, he would have nothing left to lose and would make sure she never gained freedom in her lifetime, and he wouldn't leave their two daughters alone either.

Lin Jiao had some spirit, but her background meant she had limited experience and perspective. After being threatened by Fang Shanyou, she was indeed frightened.

It wasn't until, in her past life, He Shixia arranged for someone to investigate Fang Shanyou, and that led him to Lin Jiao. He Shixia promised to arrange a lawyer for the divorce lawsuit, give her the means to start a new life with her daughters, and ensure Fang Shanyou wouldn't have a good life or be able to trouble them. Only then did Lin Jiao grab onto this lifeline, wasting no time in exposing the evidence and reporting him to the police.

And in this life...

He Shixia hadn't anticipated this beforehand, but Ning Yichu came prepared.

He cocked his head slightly, looked at Fang Shanyou, and interjected, "Before the show, I contacted Ms. Lin. She said nothing would please her more than to see your crimes exposed on the program. She indicated that if our verbal account wasn't enough, she would also cooperate by releasing the video evidence online. She wants to see you ruined and doesn't care if the video evidence exposes her privacy. I deeply admire Ms. Lin's courage. If you are unwilling to divorce her properly, I will help her hire a lawyer to make things as easy as possible for her."

In reality, that got the order backwards. It was Ning Yichu, like He Shixia in the previous life, who gave Lin Jiao reassuring promises, leading her to agree to this all-or-nothing move. But for the audience now, that sequence wasn't so important.

Upon hearing this, Fang Shanyou's face turned a sickly, ashen gray.

"Well, that's a relief. Ning Yichu's actions are indeed thorough as always."

"Go for it! Get away from the rapist, send the rapist to jail!"

"I wonder what Fang Shanyou's girlfriend thinks now..."

"If she has any sense, she should also find it disgusting."

"Judging from Ning Yichu's earlier implication, Fang Shanyou's girlfriend probably didn't know he was married and was also deceived. That's really awful for her."

"Wow, right after Ning Yichu finished speaking, Fang Shanyou's Weibo updated! It's a post made by his wife using his account! Go check it out!"

"It seems this Ms. Lin really had done her homework, even getting Fang Shanyou's Weibo account password. Using Fang Shanyou's own account to expose his misdeeds is indeed more effective and dramatic."

The guests on set naturally weren't checking their phones at the moment; even Fang Shanyou himself didn't know Lin Jiao had already posted using his account.

Ning Yichu then glanced at Fang Shanyou's teammates—the remaining four members of Tomato, named Wang Zao, Yang Jingxian, Zhao Ming, and Cao Ye.

"The second matter," Ning Yichu said, "Fang Shanyou, does your teammate Wang Zao know that you intentionally caused his fracture to steal his resources?"

As the leader, Fang Shanyou had always maintained a good persona within the group. Wang Zao was already feeling conflicted upon learning Fang Shanyou was scum, and upon hearing this, his face instantly froze.

The other three members were also stunned. Cao Ye instinctively blurted out, "What?! Leader... bah, Fang Shanyou caused Wang Zao's fracture?"

Yang Jingxian recalled, "Wang Zao's fracture... you mean the one two years ago? Right when Fang Shanyou got his first role..."

Zhao Ming was even more shocked. "Fang Shanyou caused Wang Zao's fracture... Wasn't that my fault? I... I've always felt guilty. Originally, Wang Zao had been selected by the director to play that supporting male role. It's all my fault for getting drunk and asking Wang Zao to carry me back to the room. I was restless on his back, causing him to miss a step on the stairs and fracture his leg..."

"Oh, right," Ning Yichu continued, looking at Fang Shanyou. "Taking advantage of Zhao Ming being drunk and unconscious, you secretly stood on the stairs and poked his back with a clothes hanger, making him struggle. In the end, everyone thought Zhao Ming caused Wang Zao to fall down the stairs. Framing someone like that, Teacher Fang, your methods are truly 'masterful'."

Fang Shanyou gritted his teeth, already afraid to look at his teammates' expressions.

Finally snapping back to reality, Wang Zao, unable to contain his anger, charged straight at Fang Shanyou and threw a punch, knocking the seated Fang Shanyou sideways to the floor.

Wang Zao pounced on him and kept hitting him. "It was actually you! It was actually you! We looked up to you as our leader, and you plotted against us like this! Back then, you said your parents were sick and needed money for treatment, so you borrowed from me. We weren't even that close then, but I still lent it to you! Hearing what you did with that money made me sick enough, but I never imagined you had harmed me too!"

Zhao Ming yelled at Yang Jingxian and Cao Ye, "What are you two standing there for?! Come help beat him up! I'm so furious! Fang Shanyou, how could you be so vicious! Back then, our manager sent us all to the audition together. Wang Zao passing the audition was his own ability. The manager even promised you, the leader, that you'd definitely get the next opportunity. But you were so impatient you had to turn Wang Zao's resource into your own 'next time'?!"

Yang Jingxian and Cao Ye didn't know what to do, but they were just as furious. Besides, Fang Shanyou was definitely finished after this. Tomato would be left with the four of them. If they didn't join in beating him today, what if it created a rift with Wang Zao and Zhao Ming later?

So Yang Jingxian and Cao Ye exchanged a look and wordlessly stepped forward to join the beating.

Fang Shanyou, being ganged up on, couldn't even form complete sentences. "You... I'll... sue you... all! Ah!"

"This familiar flavor. Indeed, wherever Ning Yichu is, there's bound to be a physical fight scene."

"Really so vicious, my god."

"Alien's Ji Tianfeng harmed his teammate, Tomato's Fang Shanyou also harmed his teammate. Are boy bands these days really this cutthroat?"

"Fang Shanyou started gaining popularity with his first role, benefiting a lot from the character's image. His acting skills weren't good to begin with, and were even worse back then. I remember seeing promotional posts at the time; many were lenient because he was a newcomer, saying his acting was raw but promising for the future. It also had something to do with his looks, saying his appearance suited the character."

"As a former fan of Fang Shanyou who just dropped him on the spot, I can tell everyone that the director of that drama hinted back then that Fang Shanyou's looks actually suited the character less than the originally chosen actor, and his acting wasn't as good either. We fans even criticized the director for that at the time (sorry)."

"To be fair, seeing Fang Shanyou get beaten up is still very satisfying."

"Wow, Fang Shanyou's fan girlfriend also spoke up voluntarily! She appeared in the comments of the new Weibo post Lin Jiao made using Fang Shanyou's account!"

"What did she say? What did she say?"

"She said she genuinely didn't know Fang Shanyou was married before and had been deceived by the image he projected. She's both sad and angry now, cutting all ties with Fang Shanyou. Also, regardless, she was factually the other woman, so she wants to apologize to Lin Jiao. She also wants to apologize to her fellow fans for cooperating with Fang Shanyou in hiding the relationship and deceiving them."

Although the production team also enjoyed seeing the scumbag get beaten, seeing Fang Shanyou's cries grow weaker under the four-man assault, the director quickly had people step in to break up the fight, at least to prevent a major incident.

Wang Zao and the other three could only reluctantly stop.

The director initially wanted to have staff carry Fang Shanyou out directly, but before speaking, he instinctively glanced at Ning Yichu and He Shixia, feeling they might still have something to say.

Sure enough, Ning Yichu spoke next. "The final matter, also what Ning Anxia has in her possession—something you know, once exposed, will be the end of you, with no way back... Fang Shanyou, you also use drugs."

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Author's Note: Sorry, I haven't been able to update on time recently. After some thought, I've decided to change the update time, pushing it back to a fixed 11:30 PM. Apologies, and thank you for your support, everyone.