The filming location was somewhat remote. Bai Xia finally managed to hail a taxi, and it took more than half an hour before he arrived.
After getting into the car, Bai Xia wore a hat and mask, shrinking into the back seat. The driver seemed to find him strange and glanced at him several times on the road.
Bai Xia did not know whether the driver had seen the recent news. But these past few days, he had already received too many looks like that, so he remained silent the entire way.
When he arrived at the company, Lin Pei came downstairs specifically to pick him up.
There were not many people along the way. Once they reached the office, Lin Pei quickly closed the door, sighed, and looked at Bai Xia’s exhausted expression with a trace of pity in his eyes.
Bai Xia instead comforted him.
“It’s alright, Brother Lin. Just tell me directly.”
Lin Pei sighed and said, “The situation now is that the company seems to have been pressured by someone above. They don’t want to get involved in this mess. You were originally just a newly debuted newcomer, and the company hasn’t invested much cost in you yet. If they want to give you up, they’ll give you up. The leaders only allowed me to barely talk to the higher-ups because they saw that you had the strength to become popular. I didn’t expect someone else to interfere now. They may truly be planning to abandon you completely.”
Bai Xia looked exhausted, but his tone was firm.
“Brother Lin, you know me. I’m not very interested in whether I become popular or not. I just feel that they can’t call white black. I only want my innocence.”
“I know, Xiao Xia. Actually, from the first moment I saw you, I felt that you weren’t suited for the entertainment circle. You’re too clean, and you can’t learn their ways.”
Lin Pei continued, “Things like yours actually aren’t rare in this industry. Either you lower your head and smile for a big boss, and give them as much benefit as they want as far as possible, or you can only swallow this loss in silence.”
“In this circle, strength counts for nothing,” he added fiercely.
Bai Xia did not speak.
Lin Pei sighed in his heart and suddenly somewhat regretted saying these things to him.
“Xiao Xia, I asked around through many channels these past few days. You probably offended your teammates Liu Fengyu and Han Zichen. The two of them recently attached themselves to a big boss who is said to be someone from the Shen family. In all aspects, people will more or less give him some face. With just the two of us small figures, we definitely can’t fight against him.”
“And Yuan Chenguang, the one who released a video to hammer you, probably reached some agreement in terms of benefits and stabbed you in the back. It’s said that he was originally unable to make it in the industry, but because of this matter, he gained a huge wave of followers. As for those things online… there’s no solution in the short term either.”
As he spoke, Lin Pei himself felt somewhat pained.
Lin Pei had entered the industry two or three years ago. It was not a long time, but he had seen many twists and turns in the circle. In the past, he had only thought that if he managed himself well and did not participate in anything that violated his conscience, that would be enough.
But today, facing Bai Xia, he hated his own powerlessness.
Especially with Bai Xia not crying or making a fuss, remaining so calm, it was like a thorn stabbing into his heart.
“Brother Lin, it’s alright. During practice these past few days… sometimes I felt that the way those two spoke was strange, so I recorded some audio. At least it can prove that part of the video was maliciously edited. If now isn’t the right time to release it, that’s fine too. I believe there will always be a chance someday,” Bai Xia said.
Lin Pei immediately felt even more powerless.
When he heard that there were recordings, his eyes even turned red.
Those recordings could prove that the first video had been maliciously edited by them, but they could not prove that all the vague rumours were false.
Moreover, the most crucial matter now was Yuan Chenguang’s real-name accusation.
Unless Yuan Chenguang himself came out to prove it was false, there was simply no other way. Besides, the other side had come aggressively and had background support. Perhaps this recording would be intercepted before they even had the chance to release it.
“I’ll just let them have it,” Bai Xia said.
Although he knew Bai Xia had no intention of staying in the industry, Lin Pei still felt it would be too much of a pity for such an outstanding person to let it end like this.
On the surface, he still comforted him.
“That’s right, Xiao Xia. We don’t care about it at all. You only have the final public performance left now. With this mess, you probably won’t debut anyway. As for the drama, even if they ask you to pay a breach-of-contract penalty, it’s fine. I’ll negotiate with the company and help you pay some of it. Originally, the total pay wasn’t much either.”
“And your contract, I still have some savings. I’m your manager. I’ll take responsibility for you. The company knows that what it’s doing isn’t honourable, so they probably won’t make things too difficult for you. At most, they’ll shelve you for a few years. We don’t care anyway. There will always be another chance.”
Bai Xia also felt that, for now, this was the only way.
“Brother Lin, thank you. I believe everything will get better.”
As for money, it was still manageable. Bai Xia’s father’s condition had stabilised quite a bit these past few years, and Bai Xia himself was a student from a prestigious university. At worst, he could take on more part-time jobs and slowly pay things back.
At a time like this, one could not twist an arm against a thigh. Bai Xia would not insist on smashing himself head-on against a wall.
Neither of them had rested properly these past few days.
After Bai Xia returned to the dormitory, most of the troublemakers had already been cleared away by the company.
He did not scroll through his phone to look at those comments. Nor did he care about the strange gazes of the people around him. He buried his head and slept properly.
He had originally thought Liu Fengyu and Han Zichen simply could not stand seeing him rise too quickly and wanted to give him a warning. If they had clearly expressed that he was withdrawing, perhaps that would be the end of it.
Unexpectedly, this matter was like a bottomless abyss. Not only did the other side become worse, it even seemed to involve other forces.
The cause lay with Liu Fengyu and Han Zichen.
At first, they had only wanted to maliciously edit a video, then spend money to have Yuan Chenguang give false testimony and release a few press drafts to force public opinion to push Bai Xia out of the competition.
Unexpectedly, the powerful backer behind the two of them, Shen Wenbin, one day had a sudden whim and watched a few episodes of their variety show. After that, he took a fancy to Bai Xia.
It just so happened that at a gathering one night, everyone was present. The big boss casually told Liu Fengyu and Han Zichen to call Bai Xia over to play.
Both of them understood the implication behind his words, and immediately felt that the matter was difficult.
With Bai Xia’s personality, now that things outside had already become such a mess, he probably could not even be made to apologise and lower his head, let alone be dragged into a gathering like this.
Besides, the two of them knew very clearly what kind of goods they themselves were. If they brought Bai Xia over, then in the future, there might be nothing left for the two of them here.
They could only placate the big boss that night and go back to discuss it further.
The situation was just as they had expected.
The two of them found Bai Xia again and tried both threats and inducements. They spoke for ages, appealing to emotion and interest.
Bai Xia’s expression remained the same as last time, hardly changing at all.
He did not even mention what the two had done before. His gaze was somewhat cold, even carrying a trace of pity, as though he were looking at two insignificant dogs.
Originally, the two of them had still felt uneasy about doing this kind of thing for the first time. But that uneasiness quickly transformed into deep resentment.
After going back, they angrily embellished the matter and told the big boss.
Shen Wenbin was indeed someone from the Shen family. However, in terms of blood relationship, he was already very, very far from the main branch.
His status was marginal. In several years, he had not even managed to enter the main family a few times. His position was not even comparable to the illegitimate children of Old Master Shen.
It was only because his surname was also Shen, and because his family relied on that faint, almost nonexistent connection, that their business had gone smoothly. In recent years, they had successfully shifted their industry into the entertainment circle.
They had not earned that much money yet, but they had already picked up much of the foul atmosphere in the industry.
Every day, surrounded by the flattery of various young pretty boys, Shen Wenbin became increasingly smug, truly thinking of himself as a real member of the Shen family.
Hearing that Bai Xia had refused him, Shen Wenbin also felt that a young person had made him lose face, and his mood became very unpleasant.
In recent years, upon hearing that his surname was Shen, who in the business world would not give him face?
A moment later, his expression twisted again, and he felt that he rarely had such a fresh experience.
After all, Bai Xia was already breathtakingly beautiful through a screen. Among a group of idols working hard to smile and do business, even when Bai Xia was excited, he maintained only a faint smile. He also would not take the initiative to maintain his fans.
Even so, because of his overly exquisite face and unique temperament, he had gained first place in popularity.
Thinking of what such a person would be like up close in reality, even Shen Wenbin had to admit that his heart itched.
So Shen Wenbin generously decided to give the little friend another chance and contacted Bai Xia’s agency.
Inside the hotel conference room, Secretary Xu connected to the projector.
The PowerPoint slides appeared one by one. Just a few simple words were enough to stir Bai Xia’s memories.
That period three years ago, when every day had felt like a year.
Those fragments that had once brought him pain and struggle.
Looking at them now, they could actually be summarised in only a few pages of PowerPoint.
Among everyone present, only Bai Xia and Lin Pei had truly lived through it bit by bit. Both people involved were very silent.
Too much time had passed. No matter how capable Secretary Xu was, he could only grasp the general outline.
One major purpose of this meeting was for the person involved to recall the past, explain the details as clearly as possible, and then discuss and make decisions.
But because Mr. Shen was present, Secretary Xu could not say this directly. He could only keep signalling Bai Xia with his eyes.
Shen Mingjin sat beside Bai Xia. Seeing that his gaze had dimmed slightly, he held Bai Xia’s hand and asked, “You’re tired today too. Why don’t we talk about it tomorrow?”
Bai Xia froze for a moment, then felt warmth come from his hand.
That large hand holding his tightly gave him a sudden sense of security.
He looked at Lin Pei, who was watching him with worry from inside the conference room; at Secretary Xu, who looked as if as long as Bai Xia could speak clearly enough, he would confidently reverse the whole situation immediately; at the other staff members; and at Mr. Shen, who was sitting very close to him, looking at him gently.
All at once, he felt that perhaps the story from three years ago was not so heavy after all.
He slowly opened his mouth and began to recall.
Later, Shen Wenbin somehow contacted a minor leader in his agency.
Although this person’s position in the company was not very high, relying on the little power he had was more than enough to pressure a young artist like Bai Xia, who had nothing behind him.
This minor leader had always been good at flattering those above him.
Seeing that Shen Wenbin was indeed generous with money, and thinking that Bai Xia really did look very good, he thought that if Bai Xia was truly favoured by the big boss, the company would not only gain another money tree in the future, but he himself could also skim some benefits from it.
Most importantly, from a leader’s perspective, someone like Bai Xia was indeed the hardest to control.
Especially in a place like the entertainment circle, where interests were tangled and risks were high, one careless move could cause something to be exposed and everything would collapse.
Therefore, he had always felt that the safest method was to drag everyone into the water together. No one should be cleaner than anyone else.
This small executive was named Zhou Peng.
After being in the company for so long, he was very skilled at judging people.
He deliberately bypassed Lin Pei and did not bother with courtesy before force. He directly wanted to set up a gathering and trick Bai Xia into it. Simple and efficient.
It was not his first time doing such a thing.
On one side, he vowed solemnly to the big boss, booked the location and room, and on the other, he contacted Bai Xia. He stated his identity to steady him, then seriously analysed the current situation for him.
He also told Bai Xia that the company had not given up on him. Tonight, regarding his matter, they had even called together the relevant people in charge to hold a meeting and discuss it.
Everything was arranged tightly and neatly, only waiting for the main event that night.
After hearing the call, Bai Xia felt that something was strange.
These past few days, he and Lin Pei had stayed in constant contact. For such a major matter, Bai Xia had never heard Lin Pei mention it.
But after sending Lin Pei several messages and calling him, Lin Pei did not answer.
The meeting schedule was very tight, and the time soon reached evening.
To be safe, Bai Xia still left Lin Pei a message with the time and location, and also sent him the hotel’s exact address.
At eight o’clock that night, Bai Xia went to the appointment alone.
The hotel was in a somewhat remote location, but it was extremely luxurious and covered a vast area. From a distance, it looked like a castle. Under the night sky, it appeared mysterious and solemn.
The interior of the hotel was designed with a vintage atmosphere, elegant and extravagant.
As soon as he entered the hotel, a professional staff member came up to him. After confirming the private room location with him, they personally escorted Bai Xia upstairs.
This kind of service and environment made Bai Xia’s suspended heart settle a little.
A place like this must be expensive. It was also a public venue. There should not be any major problem.
