Chapter 3: CH 003

TL: Moonlit

Qiu Hongguang: A good friend has been away from home for a long time, causing worry for uncle and aunt. The once lively and joyful home is now filled with gloom. I feel sad when I see it and try my best to comfort them, but I can’t make them happy. I understand that friends want to break free from the shelter of their family and explore the world, but ignoring their parents is not right.

In the eyes of parents, earning money and achieving success are not the most important things; being able to accompany them is. I hope that everyone who ventures out can spend more time with their parents when they come back home.

In this long article, Qiu Hongguang speaks earnestly, calling for a “friend who ran away from home” to come back and stop deliberately angering their parents. The friend’s willfulness has caused this once warm and harmonious family to fall apart.

Meanwhile, Qiu Hongguang takes it upon himself to take care of the friend’s parents, to console his own family, and stands on the moral high ground, waving the moral stick to criticize the friend… Those who are unaware, upon reading this lengthy article, would think that Qiu Hongguang is a kind and gentle person.

Qiu Hongguang seems to be unaware of the storm brewing online and only selects a few fan comments to respond to.

“Parents are here, no need to travel far. This person is truly unfilial.”

Qiu Hongguang: He is a very good person, but his parents have provided him with such good conditions that he has always been overshadowed by their reputation. He just wants to break free.

“Qiu Qiu is so gentle, it’s so lucky to be friends with Qiu Qiu! Your friend doesn’t know how to cherish it, you should cut ties with them.”

Qiu Hongguang: He has done me a favor, and I am very grateful to him.

“You consider him a friend, but he might not consider you the same. Qiu Qiu deserves better.”

Qiu Hongguang: He is just angry with me and has made friends with someone who has a bad reputation, which is why he blocked me.

“He and I posted one after another, it was deliberate!” Ran Xing gritted his teeth. He originally held back his anger and told the netizens that he hadn’t been banned. But now, with Qiu Hongguang’s sudden appearance, it was like a blow to his heart.

Based on the information from Qiu Hongguang’s lengthy article and the comments, combined with Ran Xing’s announcement, it can be said that there are no traces of censorship.

Various speculations emerged, involving celebrities, Yanshi Film, and prominent families… All these factors combined ignited the curiosity of the onlookers, and the mix of true and false revelations made it difficult to keep up.

Lin Hanchuan’s expression turned cold. Before he possessed the body, the original owner Yan Weilou acted low-key and impartial, even though he was in the entertainment industry, he rarely appeared in the public eye and had no scandals. Even some small stars in the industry didn’t know what Yan Weilou looked like.

It wasn’t until he met Qiu Hongguang that, according to the original text, Yan Weilou became exposed to the spotlight, with his ups and downs with Qiu Hongguang and the progress of their relationship being witnessed by the public at almost every milestone.

And now, Lin Hanchuan, far away from Qiu Hongguang, still had to make an appearance as an actor.

“Sorry for involving you…” Ran Xing’s face darkened, his eyes filled with determination. He had been through several rounds of disputes with Qiu Hongguang and was familiar with his attitude.

Donning the cloak of righteousness, Qiu Hongguang pretentiously strikes at his opponents, seeking to win the favor and admiration of others. Ran Xing immediately sees through the selfishness and indifference beneath Qiu Hongguang’s gentle and kind facade, but unfortunately, everyone falls for his act.

Suddenly, Ran Xing’s heart skips a beat, and he turns his head abruptly, looking at Lin Hanchuan. “President Yan, you…”

Lin Hanchuan glances at him. “Don’t worry.”

The conversation between the two is abrupt and inconclusive, and Ran Xing doesn’t know if the other person understood his concerns. However, his suspended heart inexplicably feels relieved. He covers his mouth, coughs dryly, and says, “Of course, I trust President Yan’s judgment.”

Under the gaze of the two, they both climb up the hot search rankings, with a tendency to rise further. According to Ran Xing’s thinking, it would be better to suppress the hot search as soon as possible. He is used to being criticized himself, but…

Ran Xing steals a glance at Lin Hanchuan.

Lin Hanchuan, the wicked and unfilial color demon, and Ran Xing, the double-dealing and cunning person, hold hands and stand shoulder to shoulder, becoming targets of abuse from netizens. Various vulgar and abusive comments come flying at them. Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that the harshest criticisms come from Qiu Hongguang’s fans.

Suddenly, Lin Hanchuan picks up his phone and uses Yan Weilou’s personal account to post a dynamic message. Shortly after it is posted, his comment section is filled with Qiu Hongguang’s fans.

“How dare you still send messages?”

“Unfaithful, unjust, unkind, and unfilial scum, get out of the entertainment industry! Don’t even think about earning our money!”

“Just you dare to like our Qiu Qiu? A toad wants to eat swan meat, how delusional.”

“Qiu Qiu is beautiful and kind-hearted, unwilling to abandon you as her former boss and still taking care of your family. You can’t compare to her as an outsider.”

…

The fans are indignant and start berating Lin Hanchuan in the comment section without even carefully reading the dynamic he posted. They curse for a while until they suddenly realize that the direction of the comments seems off.

“Never expected that Qiu Hongguang, who appears aloof, would be such a hypocrite behind the scenes. His skill at shifting blame is truly remarkable.”

“What’s the matter with Yan Weilou’s parents? They’d rather have Qiu Hongguang, an outsider, than their own son. What are they after?”

“Didn’t the fans say that Qiu Hongguang is a rich young master living in the exclusive Yunshui Estate? How is it possible that it’s the Yan family’s place? Doesn’t he have his own home? Why is he living with someone else?”

“He’s occupying someone else’s nest, forcing a biological child not to dare to go home. And he has the nerve to claim that he won’t tell the Yan family that his departure is related to Yan Weilou… Such a fragrant cup of tea.”

“The casual fans are disillusioned. I always thought he was a gentle and kind person, but I never expected him to be so calculating. The road has turned dark.”

“Didn’t see that coming. He’s actually so scheming.”

The fans sense that something is amiss and no longer bother arguing with the random commenters. They hurriedly go to see the content of Lin Hanchuan’s dynamic.

Lin Hanchuan didn’t reveal any earth-shattering revelations. He simply recorded the conversation with Qiu Hongguang in advance as a precaution.

Now that Qiu Hongguang is so blatantly scheming against him, Lin Hanchuan fights fire with fire, trapping Qiu Hongguang in public opinion.

In just a few minutes of recording, without any editing, the fans can clearly hear Qiu Hongguang’s unique, gentle, and chilly voice.

“…I won’t tell Uncle and Auntie that my departure is related to you…”

“You think I’m being nice to them for some ulterior motive…”

Every word is crystal clear, leaving no room for debate.

Lin Hanchuan, despite being the only heir of the Yanshi Film Industry, is primarily a behind-the-scenes person, while Qiu Hongguang is the one standing on the stage, facing the audience.

The onlookers may not recognize the identity of the person behind the scenes, but everyone knows who Qiu Hongguang is.

For a moment, everyone put Lin Hanchuan and Ran Xing aside and started discussing Qiu Hongguang’s situation.

Since his debut, Qiu Hongguang has marketed himself as a wealthy young master with a cool and transparent image. However, now it has been revealed that the luxury villa mentioned in his press releases actually belongs to someone else, leaving the audience shocked.

In their anger at being deceived, they attempt to reevaluate Qiu Hongguang as a person, looking for any other falsehoods in his image and where he might be lying.

Seeing the increasing number of critical comments and being unable to suppress the doubts even with his fans’ support, Qiu Hongguang’s palms sweat as he holds his phone, feeling like he’s holding a bomb.

“How did it come to this?” Qiu Hongguang murmurs in confusion to himself.

“Qiu Hongguang, what’s wrong with you?” Qiu Hongguang’s manager, Shan Shan, arrives late and looks at the flustered Qiu Hongguang with exasperation. “Didn’t I tell you to use fewer tricks? Do you think you’re clever? Who in this industry is a fool?”

Being scolded, Qiu Hongguang trembles, “I’m sorry, I thought…”

“What did you think? Did you think Lin Hanchuan wouldn’t take action against you?” Shan Shan takes off her glasses and sneers, “Regardless of how upright Lin Hanchuan is, he wouldn’t let you corner him like this.”

Shan Shan looks meaningfully at him, “You have been too audacious for too long, relying on Lin Hanchuan’s tolerance.”

Qiu Hongguang’s face turns pale all of a sudden.

“And there’s Uncle Yan… Uncle Yan will help me!” Qiu Hongguang grabs onto a straw of hope, stands up, and tries to walk out, but Shan Shan fails to hold him back.

The moment he steps out of the company’s gate, the flickering lights dazzle Qiu Hongguang’s eyes. Paparazzi, who came after hearing the news, have already surrounded the company’s entrance and rushed towards Qiu Hongguang’s figure.

“Mr. Qiu, why do you live at the Yan residence? Do you have any undisclosed relationship with the Yan family?”

“Mr. Qiu, there are rumors online that your public image has collapsed. How do you respond?”

“Mr. Qiu, why does the Yanshi Film Industry’s CEO value you so much? Is there any transactional relationship between you?”

The paparazzi’s mouths are much more venomous than the online spectators, and each question is sharp and cutting, not stopping until Qiu Hongguang’s face changes drastically.

Qiu Hongguang is surrounded by a crowd of paparazzi, and he can’t help but feel resentful: It’s all because Yan Weilou exposed his voice recording. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be in this situation…

Unaware of the hatred brewing against him, Lin Hanchuan watches as the number of people criticizing Ran Xing gradually decreases, feeling quite satisfied. He returns the phone to him.

Ran Xing is the only artist under Lin Hanchuan, and whether he is a fictional character or not, as long as he remains under his management, Lin Hanchuan won’t let him suffer for nothing.

“Thank you, President Yan.” Ran Xing, devoid of the despair and self-abandonment from earlier, looks at Lin Hanchuan with shining eyes.

Ran Xing watches as Lin Hanchuan effortlessly deflects the insults and humiliations he faced, experiencing a mix of emotions. He secretly determines to focus on his acting, earn money for Starlight Entertainment, and earn lots of it!

As he leaves the company, Ran Xing walks with a spring in his step, a slight smile on his face, no longer burdened by the heaviness and exhaustion he had earlier.

Watching Ran Xing leave the office, Lin Hanchuan makes a video call to a producer within the company. In the video, a man in his forties or fifties, sweating profusely on his forehead, looks anxious and stammers, “CEO Yan, the male lead of «Sword Immortal» has quit.”

«Sword Immortal» is currently the biggest project of Starlight Entertainment and has already started filming. At this critical moment, the male lead unexpectedly quit! Lin Hanchuan’s expression darkens.