The words were like bombs dropped into water, packed with an astonishing amount of information. Under normal circumstances, even the faintest hint of any one of them would have been enough to keep Cui Ying’s name trending for several days.
Yet Pei Liang hurled them out one after another as if they cost her nothing. For a moment, everyone’s first reaction was that she had gone crazy and was making up rumors to smear him.
That was until the final line:
“I heard it from his girlfriend.”
Fans could automatically filter out any other scandals, or instantly summon the usual brainwashing mantra from their fan leaders: “Don’t listen to just one side of the story. Wait for our idol and his studio to respond.”
When it came to other people, they were experts at saying things had been taken out of context, that they shouldn’t believe rumors, and that flies didn’t gather around a crackless egg. But when the same standards were applied to their idol, they brought out the greatest amount of “rationality” and “tolerance” a human being could possibly possess.
The words “girlfriend,” however, were a key capable of breaking through every fortress.
The moment countless fans heard that word, they could no longer even maintain the chat etiquette the fan leaders had laid down at the beginning. They had completely forgotten the warning not to be too aggressive or attack people too openly and risk bringing bad publicity to their idol.
The live-stream chat began flying by at a terrifying speed. If the platform hadn’t limited the rate of incoming comments to preserve the viewing experience, no one would have been able to make out the sheer flood of messages that had overwhelmed the room in an instant.
Insults of every imaginable variety poured in, until even the system’s automatic filters could no longer keep up.
Other internet users and rival fans spread the news in all directions. More and more people poured into the live stream to watch the spectacle, and the number of viewers soon set a record for the platform.
The host naturally understood that he had landed in serious trouble. His own popularity was hardly inferior to that of a top-tier celebrity; he certainly had no need to stir up controversy in his live stream just to gain attention.
He hurriedly tried to smooth things over. “When Pei Liang said that, she meant a female friend, right? I’ve met Cui Ying before. He gets along well with people, and all the older female celebrities he’s worked with take good care of him.”
“A lot of them are his fans, too.”
Without waiting for Pei Liang to respond, he somewhat stiffly changed the subject. “Since we’re talking about romantic preferences, what kind of person is Pei Liang looking for?”
The host had taken money from Cui Ying’s company, so he still had to finish the job.
According to the script provided by Cui Ying’s side, Pei Liang was supposed to describe traits resembling Cui Ying’s as closely as possible, further confirming that she was desperate to tie herself to him and refused to let go.
But the host knew that, judging from the current situation, Pei Liang was unlikely to follow the script.
So he took control of the conversation himself. “I was just talking to your manager. Guess what she told me?”
Mentioning Pei Liang’s manager put pressure on her and warned her not to improvise. It also gave his next words an air of credibility.
He continued, “Your manager just told me that you’re desperate to find a partner this year. She even joked that I should run an advertisement for a boyfriend for you during the live stream.”
“She promised that if I did it, she wouldn’t charge you for appearing today. But am I the kind of Little X who ignores the rules of livestreaming just for money?”
“Of course not. Every fan who clicks into my stream trusts me, so I have to take responsibility for them.”
“So, are there any young men over 182 centimeters tall who can dance, sing, and act; whose hobby is collecting watches; who have a dog at home; who are shy and bashful; and who start speaking in dialect when they get excited?”
After saying this, the host raised both hands. “Don’t look at me. Those were the requirements given by Pei Liang’s manager.”
The host was quite clever. He knew that Pei Liang was refusing to follow the script, so he used his position as the host and his powerful ability to control the room.
He dragged her manager into it without even giving Pei Liang a chance to speak. He could simply attribute everything to the manager’s attitude. That way, he would further confirm that Pei Liang’s side was blatantly trying to use Cui Ying for publicity.
It was no big deal if the manager got cursed at. Most of the time, taking the blame for a celebrity’s actions was part of the job. Otherwise, so many celebrities’ crisis statements after scandals wouldn’t be issued by their managers.
Sure enough, after the host’s insinuation, Cui Ying’s fans became even more furious. Every one of them looked as if they wanted to drag Pei Liang out and beat her up.
But because their comments were too extreme, the chat had temporarily added more blocked keywords. As a result, the comments from Cui Ying’s fans were quickly drowned out by people taking other sides.
There were the bystanders who loved nothing more than watching a scandal unfold, as well as fans of several of Cui Ying’s rivals.
The moment the host listed those keywords, which perfectly matched Cui Ying’s traits, the chat filled with rows of identical messages:
“@Cui Ying!”
Hundreds of them drifted past in succession, impossible to ignore.
Only then did Pei Liang seem to realize what was happening. Looking at the comments, she asked, “Why are they tagging Cui Ying?”
Then she added modestly, “Everyone, don’t get the wrong idea. Cui Ying and I are impossible.”
The coy, deliberately suggestive tone was so strong that even the host thought the water in her head had finally been squeezed dry and that she had recognized the importance of her career. He assumed she had obediently returned to the script.
Who could have guessed that Pei Liang would shift direction the very next second?
“How could I possibly date a man who only has a junior-high education, is over thirty, and has a significant history of plastic surgery?”
“If I had that kind of taste, I’d be ostracized by everyone in the industry tomorrow. My dad would break my legs.”
[Did this woman just casually drop another earth-shattering bombshell?]
[Badass Sister Liang. She hardly ever speaks, but every word takes down a person.]
[I hereby announce that, starting today, I’m no longer a Pei Liang fan. I’m a fan of the things she says.]
[Who is she? How can she be this bold?]
[Come on, here’s a quick bit of background information: she’s the heiress to Pei’s Foods. Obviously, she can’t compare with people like Wang Sicong, but she really does come from a wealthy family.]
[Holy crap, then why is she bothering to become an idol in a girl group? Isn’t having billions of yuan enough?]
[Then why are Cui Ying’s fans attacking her? They don’t even approve of a sister-in-law like this? If Cui Ying really is pursuing her, he’d probably want to smash these idiots’ heads in.]
[So what if she’s rich? Our idol cares about character and personality.]
[Hahahaha… I get it now.]
[I get it too~]
The rival fans and passersby who disliked Cui Ying’s overwhelming popularity only managed to speak up for a brief moment. The leader of Cui Ying’s fan club immediately posted a list of words and phrases to avoid in the group chat.
Certain words and phrases were strictly forbidden. An organized and disciplined army of free online soldiers instantly seized control of the live-stream chat once again.
By now, the host’s expression had turned ugly. He wanted to signal the staff to remove Pei Liang from the stream. Even if they had to deal with the public-relations fallout afterward, they absolutely could not allow the situation to escalate any further.
He was just about to speak when Pei Liang beat him to it.
“That’s what’s so great about Little X’s live streams,” she said. “Everything is presented exactly as it is—no editing, no fabrications.”
“You honestly show the good and bad points of every product on camera. I believe that’s why so many fans trust your live streams.”
The host was instantly caught between a rock and a hard place.
The incident involving Cui Ying had occurred in his live stream, making it a major disaster. But if he cleared the room and edited the footage, then, judging from the hints Pei Liang had dropped with just a few words, his competitors would swarm him like sharks that had caught the scent of blood.
They would question every past claim he had made about his streams being completely unedited and truthful.
Even though the matter technically had nothing to do with the products, the rhetorical sleight of hand commonly used in marketing would naturally cement that accusation against him.
The host was highly experienced and usually handled situations with ruthless efficiency, but faced with such a major crisis, even he couldn’t make a decision in an instant.
And that gave Pei Liang more time to stir up trouble.
Cui Ying’s fans had already retaken the livestream, cursing and denying everything in the comments—
[Pei Liang, have some shame. You couldn’t leech off him, so now you’re spreading malicious rumors and slandering him? Get out of showbiz.]
[Our brother gave up his studies and trained hard for seven years just to earn a chance to debut. An ordinary person could have used those seven years to study and get into Tsinghua or Peking University.]
As luck would have it, the livestream on Cui Ying’s side happened to be discussing trainees too.
The host asked, “Cui Ying, you were a trainee for many years as well, right?”
Cui Ying replied, “Yes. Seven years.”
Over on Pei Liang’s livestream, she happened to respond to that comment: “Seven years? Does it really take that long to practice thrusting your hips and twisting your waist? Was he training, or recovering from childhood polio?”
[…]
[Hahahahaha…]
[This lady is hilarious. She said exactly what I wanted to say.]
[How bold! She actually dares to say Cui Ying’s professional skills are lacking.]
[That’s right, our brother is the Asian Dance King, a treasure of the world, the second MJ. How dare you talk nonsense? (doge)]
Cui Ying’s fans were furious—
[Our brother is young and accomplished. At twenty-six, he’s already won countless awards. You’re just a flop living off your family—what right do you have to look down on him?]
The host on Cui Ying’s side also asked, “Your twenty-seventh birthday is coming up soon, right? Is your birthday wish to find a partner?”
“Today, for the sake of sales, I’m pulling out all the stops in this livestream. We’re selling Cui Ying—surprised? Cui Ying, pick someone from the comments. As long as they can afford the price, they can take you home immediately.”
This was the fan-benefit segment, and the comments erupted in excitement with a sea of [Aaaah—].
Cui Ying smiled shyly. “I’m almost twenty-seven. I am getting a little anxious, but I’ll let nature take its course.”
Over on Pei Liang’s side, she looked puzzled by the comment and said, “Twenty-seven? His ID clearly says he’s thirty-one.”
The host was distracted for only a few seconds while communicating with the production staff, but Pei Liang had already nearly turned the livestream upside down again.
He hurriedly said, “Hahaha—Pei Liang probably remembered wrong, right? Cui Ying’s personal information is available all over the internet.”
Pei Liang said, “But he once had an endorsement with my childhood friend’s family business. There’s no way the identity information on a contract could be falsified, right? If it was, that would probably call for legal action.”
As a top celebrity, Cui Ying hadn’t risen to fame overnight. He must have gone through his share of difficult periods.
Back then, someone in the product operations department of Pei Liang’s childhood friend’s family company had shown remarkable foresight. They chose Cui Ying to endorse one of their products, which already enjoyed nationwide recognition.
When the contract expired, Cui Ying’s value had skyrocketed. The company was preparing to negotiate a new endorsement fee with him, but Cui Ying’s side demanded an exorbitant price, making it obvious they no longer wanted to work together.
He then turned around and signed with a competing brand of that very product, irritating Pei Liang’s friend to no end. The friend had even complained about it to the original Pei Liang.
After Pei Liang brought this up, Cui Ying’s PR department had probably already started scrambling. They knew the matter wouldn’t withstand scrutiny, so they instructed the fan leaders to direct fans away from the subject.
Another comment appeared:
[You’ve had plastic surgery yourself and got that snake-like face. How dare you accuse someone else of having work done?]
[Our brother has been ranked among Asia’s top ten most handsome faces for several consecutive years, usually in the top three. His looks have won countless fans in dramas and films, and he’s been filmed in close-up with high-definition cameras. Do you think everyone else is blind?]
Pei Liang said, “Well, the surgeon’s skills are pretty good. And then there are the makeup artists, retouchers, lighting technicians, and photographers.”
[This bitch isn’t going to stop, is she? I’ve seen our brother in person.]
[I have too. He practically glows.]
Pei Liang said, “But I’ve seen him without makeup.”
The host practically wanted to reach out and cover Pei Liang’s mouth so she would stop talking.
At that moment, several malicious comments broke through the flood of messages—
[Are you the one spreading rumors that our brother has a girlfriend?]
[If you’re going to spread rumors, show us the evidence. You’re a public figure too—how can you just make accusations without proof?]
[Cui Ying must have the worst luck ever. He’s just sitting at home, and a pot falls from the sky!]
Comments like these continuously pushed their way through the flood of messages from Cui Ying’s fans, leaving his side frantic.
The topic had originally been diverted. In reality, none of the things Pei Liang had said earlier were serious enough to cause lasting damage.
After all, as a highly popular celebrity, Cui Ying naturally had no shortage of scandals. With his anti-hater groups controlling public opinion and his PR team smoothing things over, at most he would merely become the butt of a joke during the shopping festival. Later, they could easily spin the story and portray him as the victim.
But the existence of a girlfriend was different. It was a fundamental threat to the structure of his fanbase. They had finally managed to steer the discussion elsewhere, only for someone pretending to be indignant to drag it back.
Anyone with half a brain could tell that several rival camps had joined forces. They wanted to use this opportunity to bring Cui Ying down and divide up the fanbase that would abandon him because of the relationship.
Pei Liang curled her lips into a smile. She knew no one would pass up bait like this.
By then, clashes had even broken out outside the livestream. Cui Ying’s side wanted to shut down the stream by brute force, but the rival camps were not pushovers either.
Seeing the comments questioning whether she was lying, Pei Liang said, baffled, “Weren’t the photos already out? I thought Cui Ying had gone public with his relationship.”
Some comments claimed that the person in the photos was her. Although her face wasn’t visible, they had a shared objective, and she and the commenters worked together perfectly, one playing off the other.
Pei Liang replied, “I haven’t been online lately. So I’m trending because of an outfit?”
“But I lent that outfit to the Youngest ages ago, and she still hasn’t returned it. Could she have lent it to someone else?”
There was no need for her to say anything more. Cui Ying’s fans, his rivals, and the entertainment reporters would naturally dig into the matter and uncover everything.
It was difficult to investigate without a direction, but once the target was practically shoved right in front of them, digging up the truth became unbelievably easy.
After dropping the most crucial piece of information, Pei Liang chatted with the host for a few more minutes before leaving the livestream.
She left behind a fandom and a horde of spectators who went wild across the entire internet.
The Weibo accounts of Cui Ying, First Love, and Pei Liang were flooded.
In less than half an hour, the internet’s remarkably resourceful sleuths had pieced together evidence of Cui Ying and First Love dating from countless clues.
They even traced the locations to the parking lot of Cui Ying’s home and found photos of the two of them passionately kissing, captured by someone else’s dashcam.
This time, the evidence was conclusive. Cui Ying’s secret relationship with his First Love had been exposed.
Although Pei Liang was hated as well, Cui Ying’s crazed girlfriend fans still hated the woman beside their idol far more. The vicious attacks they had previously directed at Pei Liang were now surpassed by many times over.
When First Love’s male fans saw the passionate-kissing photos, the image of their pure goddess shattered. When male fans went crazy, their fighting power was not to be underestimated either.
Cui Ying lost countless fans in a very short time. The obsessive fans who had always treated themselves as his imaginary girlfriends and defended him with everything they had now turned on him with equal force—and the backlash was devastating.
What Cui Ying had been selling all along was the satisfaction of his fans’ sexual fantasies. His singing, dancing, and acting were all mediocre; he relied entirely on fans swarming the internet to control comments and sing his praises.
He could fool young people who were inexperienced and had not encountered many truly excellent works, but he couldn’t fool people within the industry.
Now that he was getting older, his condition was inevitably declining. He had no ability to successfully transition into other kinds of work, so all he could do was rely on makeup, retouching, and the carefully maintained image he used to make a living.
That was also why he absolutely did not dare to announce a relationship. Once his girlfriend fans were gone, Cui Ying had no ability to return to the peak of his career through either professional skill or a record of successful film and television work.
But now, his relationship had been exposed!
Cui Ying ended the livestream and saw his manager looking frantic. After hearing what had happened, he was completely dumbfounded.
This was nothing like what they had agreed on beforehand.
Worst of all, when the studio tried to get the fan leaders to organize fans into controlling public opinion and scrubbing the trending searches, they found that people no longer responded with the same unquestioning enthusiasm as before.
Someone directly questioned them in the fan group: “So is our Oppa really dating someone?”
“We’re spending money on him, not raising some other woman.”
“He gets to dote on his girlfriend while expecting us to do data work for free?”
“So we’re supposed to clean up his girlfriend’s mess now? Disgusting.”
“We’re not that pathetic. I’m unfollowing him!”
“+1.”
“+2.”
“+…”
This happened in every one of Cui Ying’s official fan support groups. Some fan leaders even took the initiative and converted their groups into anti-Cui Ying groups.
After all, not every fan leader was a professional paid fan. Many of them had taken on the role simply because they genuinely liked Cui Ying.
Cui Ying and his studio were frantic, but while everything was still a complete mess internally, attacks from outside had already come one after another.
The two livestreams from earlier had just been edited together by netizens—
“Click here to watch the biggest livestream train wreck in history. Were those two seriously not following a script together? Hahahaha—”
Clicking on it brought up a stitched-together clip of Cui Ying and Pei Liang’s livestreams.
Cui Ying: “As for my type of girl—”
“She has to love smiling!”
The scene then cut to Pei Liang: “Loving to smile isn’t the point. She has to look good when she smiles. Cui Ying once said he gets dizzy when someone smiles at him.”
Cui Ying: “Passionate.”
Pei Liang: “He does like that, considering that cheering him on, throwing money at him, and doing data work for free all require passion. Who else could keep doing it?”
Cui Ying: “It’d be best if she liked small animals, because I have a dog at home.”
Pei Liang: “Absolutely. He’s already killed three dogs. Every time one dies, he has to find another one that looks exactly the same. Even posting photos requires care, or people might notice that the details are different. Let him find someone who likes animals and spare those poor dogs.”
Cui Ying: “Mm, she trained as a trainee for seven years.”
Pei Liang, astonished: “Seven years? Does it take that long to practice thrusting your hips and twisting your waist? Was that training, or rehabilitation for infantile paralysis?”
Cui Ying smiled shyly at the camera: “I’m almost twenty-seven.”
Pei Liang looked puzzled. “Twenty-seven? He—” She made a cutting gesture. “Your ID clearly says you’re thirty-one.”
It looked as though the two of them were actually having a conversation. It was amusing enough on its own, but paired with the editing, it was so hilarious that people were literally rolling around clutching their phones.
“Hahahahaha, I laughed so hard my intestines tied themselves in knots.”
“Hahahahaha, the old man who lives next door and slaughters pigs came charging over with a knife. When he saw me laughing, he cursed and walked away.”
“Hahahahaha, the auntie who herds geese came over carrying a bamboo pole. When she saw me laughing, she cursed and walked away.”
“Hahahahaha, I watched it on the toilet. I only meant to take a leak, but I laughed so hard I ended up taking a dump too.”
“Hahahahaha, I watched it at work and got docked half a day’s pay.”
“Hahahahaha, I watched it at work. My boss was going to dock my pay, but after watching the video, he not only let me off, he gave me a bonus. These days, it isn’t easy for adults to find a little joy.”
“I watched it while getting a haircut and accidentally gave the customer a monk’s tonsure. On the bright side, the hospital Wi-Fi is pretty fast.”
“I watched it from my hospital bed. The vegetable in the bed next to me let out a laugh.”
Ordinary netizens didn’t care whether an idol was dating. But when they saw someone who couldn’t produce even one decent work, whose fans ran around attacking anyone who disagreed with or criticized him, and who would cyberbully people over the slightest objection, they naturally took pleasure in watching his carefully crafted image collapse overnight.
Cui Ying’s side was furious beyond words and contacted Pei Liang’s management company in a rage.
By then, Pei Liang herself had returned to the company. Zhuo Ya and Yu Wenqing had already left the city and couldn’t make it back for the time being.
But First Love had canceled today’s schedule and rushed back. When she entered the conference room, her entire face was streaked with tears.
The moment she saw Pei Liang, she went berserk. Her eyes were bloodshot, her expression hideous. She normally had delicate, understated features that seemed devoid of aggression at first glance, but now her face was twisted with fury.
“You fucking bitch, Pei Liang! What the hell have I ever done to you that you’re trying to destroy me?”
First Love lunged at her as if she intended to tear Pei Liang apart alive.
Before she could get close, however, she was stopped by a burly man in a black suit.
He lifted First Love aside like a chick and said in a low voice, “Miss, please control your emotions. If you attack someone, I can have you taken to the police station.”
First Love tried to lunge again, but the bodyguard stood like a mountain. Pei Liang had brought more than one, after all.
Even Li Jian and Zhu Wen had been restrained by the bodyguards when they lost control and flew into a rage at the beginning. A mere First Love had no chance of causing trouble.
Li Jian said impatiently, “Enough, First Love. Sit over there. You don’t get a say here.”
“But—”
“Do you really think this is still just your problem?”
Li Jian glared darkly at Pei Liang. “I underestimated you before. I never expected you to keep such a low profile and then go straight for the company’s throat the moment you made a move.”
“The company hasn’t treated you badly, Pei Liang. When you were desperate to debut and nobody was willing to sign you, who took you in?”
“Everyone was struggling at the beginning. I admit we couldn’t give all of you our full attention, but there was still some history between us, wasn’t there? And now you’ve directly offended Cui Ying’s side on the company’s behalf. Do you have any idea what kind of connections he has? How many resources do we have?”
“You’re in the same group as the others. With one sentence, you’ve ruined one of your groupmates’ future. Even if you were unhappy with the arrangement, you could have refused outright that day. Nobody forced you to agree. Playing this two-faced game was taking things too far, wasn’t it?”
“You’ve caused the company such a huge loss. Pei Liang, you tell us—what are you going to do about it?”
Pei Liang pulled out a cigarette, and Fang Yuan promptly lit it for her.
Only then did she say leisurely, “It was my poor professional ability. I botched the livestream and seriously damaged the interests of the company and our business partner.”
“I deeply regret it. I’m voluntarily resigning and terminating my contract.”
Zhu Wen sneered. “Pei Liang, you’ve certainly thought this through. Do you know how much the penalty is?”
“Yes, your family has money, but even for President Pei, it isn’t a small sum, is it?”
“You’ve always hated causing trouble for your family. President Pei is busy managing everything, and you’ve never wanted to burden him with your own problems.”
“You’ve been in the industry for two years, but you’re still neither popular nor successful. You haven’t even earned enough to hold your head high in front of President Pei. Instead, you expect him to spend a huge amount of money cleaning up your mess. Do you really think that’s appropriate?”
Pei Liang nodded. “That would indeed be inappropriate. So all the clothing support I personally funded for the team over the past two years—the outfits used as performance and promotional wear, including the altered pieces—can all be compensated at their depreciated value.”
“Oh, and there are also two endorsement fees you still owe me.”
Li Jian gave a feral smile. “The company was trying to discuss this with you amicably, but you insisted on tearing off the mask.”
“Fine. Since you want to terminate your contract, we’ll follow the legal process—”
“Of course we’re following the legal process,” Pei Liang said. “We’re all civilized people. Surely you’re not planning to resort to threats and intimidation?”
Pei Liang gave a soft laugh. “Besides, even if you wanted to play that game, my Pei family is the real local power here. But my family consists of law-abiding businesspeople. We don’t bully the weak.”
Li Jian was no pushover. The very first pot of gold he made when he started his talent agency had come from shady dealings, and whenever someone at the company proved too difficult to control, they would inevitably run into a little stalking or intimidation.
But, when all was said and done, those were just petty thugs playing at being tough. The Pei family might not be involved in such things, but people standing at a certain level of society might be clueless about the inner workings of other industries—connections in this particular line of business, however, were something they would never lack.
Besides, Pei’s dad had started from nothing and built his restaurant business into a major enterprise. There was no way he had never encountered trouble from people in this sphere.
With the influence at his disposal, Li Jian’s little intimidation tactics were nothing short of a joke. He had merely been taking advantage of Pei’s dad being an unsophisticated nouveau riche who knew nothing about the entertainment industry and had no time to accompany his daughter, blindly throwing money at the problem.
At her words, Li Jian’s expression changed. He glanced at Pei Liang’s bodyguards—several men who were clearly well trained and had military backgrounds—and reined in the malice on his face.
He gave an awkward smile. “Fine, then we’ll settle this through legal channels. Your name is signed in black and white on the contract. You can’t deny that, can you?”
Pei Liang smiled. “My lawyer will contact you shortly. But it won’t be a lawyer from the Pei Corporation. It’ll be Lawyer Jin.”
Li Jian and Zhu Wen’s expressions stiffened. Pei Liang continued, “President Li, I was eager to make my debut back then, and I’ll admit I wasn’t thinking straight when I signed some unsuitable contracts.”
“But you don’t actually believe entertainment-industry management contracts can just be filled out however you please, and that they become valid as long as someone signs them, do you?”
“Obligations and rights have always been reciprocal. Such a high penalty for breach has to be calculated comprehensively, based on my income, commercial value, the company’s investment in packaging and promoting me, the allocation of resources, and other factors.”
“I wasn’t a trainee at the company. The company made no initial investment in training me. As for my subsequent styling and image management, we’ll have to carefully settle the accounts and see who actually contributed more.”
“As for the allocation of resources…” Pei Liang gave them a meaningful smile. “Lawyer Jin is a professional. He’ll know how to sort that out.”
The breaths Li Jian and Zhu Wen drew in turned cold. If Pei Liang had found lawyers from the Pei Corporation’s legal department—or even some other lawyer—this might still have been manageable.
But Lawyer Jin was famous throughout the entertainment industry for specializing in artists’ contract-termination lawsuits. He had once helped a top star escape a harsh contract with their former agency at a negligible cost.
That former agency had been one of the industry’s top companies. Its contract clauses would only have been more airtight than theirs, yet Lawyer Jin had still managed to tear a chunk of flesh from it.
Their own little agency’s contract, by comparison, was full of loopholes.
To put it simply, imagine someone earning five hundred thousand yuan a year signing an employment contract stating that they would have to pay one hundred million yuan in compensation if they changed jobs or resigned without authorization. Do you really think that clause would hold up legally?
Seeing how ugly their expressions had become, Pei Liang decided it still wasn’t enough.
She said, “President Li, I’ve been with the company for years. If I decide I don’t want to stay here, I’ll certainly put in a comprehensive effort.”
“Even if the settlement negotiated by Lawyer Jin still doesn’t satisfy me, I’ll have no choice but to do something extreme to vent the frustration in my heart.”
“For example, I could go over the company’s financial situation, the scandals involving its artists, its tax records, and any illegal activity. I’d help the company sort through everything from top to bottom.”
“Such as the pimping you and Sister Zhu arranged at drinking parties. As far as I know, some of the people involved were even underage.”
Li Jian and Zhu Wen instinctively reached for their phones.
Pei Liang stopped them. “Isn’t it a little late to start cleaning things up now? It’s been so many days since I last left the company.”
“Granted, quite a few of those arrangements involved consenting adults exchanging their bodies for opportunities. But after two years, some of the people who realized they would never get ahead even after doing that have already decided to leave the industry and return to their hometowns.”
“How much do you think it would cost me to get them to sell you out? If they still wanted to remain in this line of work, they’d have to protect their reputations. But if they’re leaving anyway, naturally they’ll be more concerned with making one last profit.”
“How many of them do you think might still be holding evidence? Call logs, photographs, even videos. It wouldn’t just be you two who couldn’t withstand the fallout—even those wealthy patrons might not survive it. Once everything was exposed and the police launched an investigation, you could forget about making money. You’d have free room and board in prison for the next several years.”
“And how would you deal with the fury of all those wealthy patrons implicated by you?”
Pei Liang exhaled a plume of smoke and said solemnly, “President Li, Sister Zhu, you can try to guess just how far the cards in my hand can take me.”
“Go on. Guess big.”
Li Jian and Zhu Wen’s faces turned deathly pale. Their entire bodies even began to go weak.
Yes, if they truly fell out with Pei Liang, she might offend quite a few people and bring some trouble down on her family. But it would only be trouble. With the Pei family’s wealth, as long as she was careful to avoid crossing the people who absolutely could not be offended, the aftermath would be easy enough to clean up.
For them, however, it would be the end of the world. Forget the pimping—just the taxes they had evaded and underpaid over the years would be enough to land them in serious trouble.
Li Jian and Zhu Wen spoke with difficulty. “Pei Liang, we underestimated you.”
They had thought she was simple and naïve, easy to control, with an outsider’s rich father behind her. As long as they fulfilled her dream of becoming a celebrity and kept her barely relevant in the entertainment industry, they could continue squeezing benefits out of her indefinitely.
They had never imagined that she understood the industry’s rules perfectly.
Once she knew how everything worked, Pei Liang’s resources made dealing with them an act of overwhelming force.
In the end, Li Jian even signed the termination agreement with trembling hands, and paid Pei Liang a substantial sum to reimburse her styling and wardrobe expenses.
Her former first love, who had originally returned to help the company deal with Pei Liang, was completely dumbfounded after witnessing the whole process.
She couldn’t understand why Pei Liang, a third-rate idol who had caused such a huge uproar and directly made an enemy of a top star, could walk away without bearing any responsibility—indeed, could simply pat herself on the rear and leave.
The company had even been forced to pay her a settlement.
She was utterly bewildered. As Pei Liang passed by her on the way out, she reached over and patted her on the cheek.
With a beaming smile, she said, “You can keep the benefits from your romance for yourself.”
Of course, First Love had already gotten her share. Her Weibo account had been overrun.
Overnight, countless fans had unfollowed her. The praise and adoration that had once filled the comments beneath every post had been replaced with insults and abuse.
She and Cui Ying had not only been secretly dating; the two of them had also pretended to be innocent and used an innocent person as a human shield.
After the truth came out, many people took a more rational look at the situation. Pei Liang might not have been well liked and might already have been surrounded by scandals, but that still did not justify using her as a scapegoat and letting a massive fanbase hurl abuse at her.
Cui Ying was a grown man with no sense of responsibility, while First Love had stabbed her teammate in the back. The two of them were simply made for each other in their shamelessness.
By then, someone online had even photoshopped their pictures, placing their faces onto rats.
That treatment had originally been reserved for the world’s most famous celebrity couples. Cui Ying and First Love had somehow earned the same distinction.
It was already late at night when Pei Liang left the company.
The livestream had originally been scheduled for seven or eight in the evening, and sorting things out with the company and completing the termination paperwork had taken quite some time.
By the time she came out, it was nearly midnight.
Pei Liang had only just stepped out of the elevator in the parking garage when several girls rushed toward her, carrying razor blades, paint, and other suspicious objects.
The moment they saw Pei Liang, they shouted, “Go to hell, you bitch!”
Pei Liang had naturally prepared herself for revenge from crazed fans when she decided to do what she had done today.
Her bodyguards were highly trained. One of them immediately shielded her with his back when the paint was thrown, while two others subdued the girls carrying sharp objects in just a few swift moves.
When one of them saw that the situation was turning against them and tried to run, Pei Liang called out, “Run faster! We don’t know you, but do your parents?”
“If the police show up at their door in the middle of the night and wake them, that’ll be embarrassing enough. Their neighbors will find out, too.”
They were all girls under twenty, most of them not even out of school yet.
If they had been truly mature and experienced, they wouldn’t have been brainwashed into looking this foolish.
The last girl hesitated when she saw that escape was impossible, but the bodyguards caught up with her in a few strides and escorted all of them to the police station.
Because this was a serious assault, Pei Liang, as the victim, also had to go to the station to give a statement.
Even at the very end, the girls still acted as though they feared nothing.
“Pei Liang, you bitch! How dare you come after our Oppa?”
“He’s the person we treasure most. We’re terrified of him getting hurt, and now you’ve caused him to be bullied by the entire internet!”
“Just wait! We’re minors, so what can you do to us? As long as we don’t die, there’ll be plenty of people willing to come after you!”
“You’d better watch yourself when you go out. You might get run over by a car!”
The police thought the girls were completely out of their minds. One officer shouted, “You dare make threats in a police station? Being minors doesn’t give you the right to act above the law! Your parents are already on their way here.”
That did frighten them a little, but they still stubbornly glared at Pei Liang.
Pei Liang smiled. “That’s true. You people are so organized and disciplined that I really can’t handle you on my own.”
A smug look appeared on their faces, but then Pei Liang continued:
“So I paid off a few professional fans and obtained evidence that your fan support group was established under the direction of his management company, evidence of illegal fundraising and unauthorized gatherings, as well as evidence that you failed to fulfill your duty to ensure safety during past support events and caused harm to other people.”
“And the injuries you inflicted on someone today certainly aren’t covered by the association’s liability exemption clause.”
“I’ve submitted all of that, along with various other pieces of evidence, to the relevant authorities. By now, your fan support group should be on the verge of being disbanded, right?”
Pei Liang smiled at the girls. “After all, the authorities should already be at your Oppa’s company.”
As she spoke, she tapped her phone. Aside from the trending searches about Cui Ying’s various scandals that day, there was now a particularly eye-catching headline:
“Cui Ying’s Fan Support Group Disbanded”
The girls’ phones had not yet been confiscated. They hurriedly pulled them out to contact the group administrator, only to discover that the entire group had vanished.
Pei Liang stood up. “Although you’re minors, your parents still have to take responsibility for what you’ve done. Don’t worry—the court summons will arrive at your homes on time.”
The girls acted so recklessly only because they believed their status as minors would protect them. But claiming they truly feared nothing would have been giving them too much credit.
Just being taken to the police station today would earn them a severe beating from their parents, to say nothing of the lawsuits that would follow.
After a while, they might even realize that this was a mark they would carry for the rest of their lives—
all because, when they were young, they had fallen in love with a celebrity who did not even know they existed.
Pei Liang added, “Of course, you’re only minor players. Holding you responsible for everything that happened online, and for what happened today, would be giving you too much credit.”
“Your Oppa’s studio has probably already received my lawyer’s letter.”
Someone like Pei Liang was no ordinary civilian. She had enough money and influence to drag the other side into a long, drawn-out lawsuit—and she would not even need to appear in court herself.
Her family might not have connections in the entertainment industry, but they had extensive networks elsewhere.
The evidence that she had been cyberbullied was solid. She had also obtained proof from professional fans that the studio had instructed people to control public opinion. Pei Liang alone had enough grounds to make Cui Ying’s studio suffer badly.
Moreover, his internal situation was already in turmoil. With his fan support group disbanded and the relevant authorities keeping a close eye on them, they would not dare openly mobilize their supporters. His competitors would certainly seize the opportunity to push him down for good.
At the very end, Pei Liang revealed a faint smile. Looking at the girls—and, through them, at all those who still wanted to purge anyone who stood against their Oppa—she said:
“What should you do now? Your Oppa is going to suffer because of you again.”
That was what it truly meant to destroy someone psychologically.
