Having been given a second chance at life, he suddenly realized that appeasement and persuasion are just for fun; to truly solve the problem once and for all, one must simply eliminate them!
Facing the male protagonist who was beaten to the point of near death, Jiang Jianning shouted without hesitation, "Kill him and throw him out!"
This time, Jiang Jianning lived peacefully until the late spring of the following year.
2.
When Zhou Shu was at the border, he often had dreams. His dreams were chaotic and disordered. There was a sea of fire in the former Crown Prince's mansion, and there was also the bone-chilling cold when he was beaten half to death and thrown into a mass grave after he had hidden his identity and joined the Marquis's mansion.
But more often, he saw his vicious and domineering fake elder brother sitting under the lamp, his eyes gentle, reading stories to him. In his dreams, that person tirelessly worked for him, clearing obstacles for him.
However, when he rushed back to the capital, he was met with a series of deadly attacks that were designed to kill him.
Years later, when they met again, the other person offered them a cup of poisoned wine with a sinister smile, exactly the same as in their previous life.
"I'll give you unparalleled wealth and status, above all others. Do you dare?"
Zhou Shu accepted it with a smile and drank it all in one gulp.
He doesn't seek to be above everyone else; he only hopes that Jiang Jianning will turn back and love him.
Reading Guide:
1. A love-hate relationship between two strong characters + a wife-chasing-after-the-crime scenario, the protagonist transmigrates into a book and is reborn, while the other protagonist regains his memories of his past life;
2.1v1, HE (Happy Ending). The seme (top) focused on his career in his previous life, and the uke (bottom) wasn't truly in love with him either. Neither of them betrayed the other; their love began in their second life.
Chapter 25
Today's gossip is practically being forced into people's mouths!
First, top idol Xu Shen's fans accused his agency of rife with shady dealings regarding artist roles—but the director directly released the evidence, exposing the accusations; then Xu Shen himself publicly accused a fellow artist in the same company of plagiarizing his original work—but the artist retaliated fiercely, and before any resolution could be reached; now Xu Shen has announced that he will terminate his contract with his manager and go solo, and Jiasheng Entertainment has immediately condemned the other party for being ungrateful!
How wonderful! Today's melon patch was truly spectacular!
Now the pressure is on Xu Shen's side—Li Yimao is demanding that they retrieve the surveillance footage. So how did Li Yimao know the exact location of the surveillance cameras in Xu Shen's studio?
Even assuming that Li Yimao and Xu Shen don't even follow each other on Weibo, and they are neither friends nor have any business cooperation, why would he frequently visit Xu Shen's studio?
Du Ze was in a terrible predicament. His seemingly flawless logical loop had suddenly been breached, and now he seemed to have no other excuse but to claim that the surveillance footage had been automatically overwritten.
Xu Shen was eating his takeout when he unusually used his straightforward mind and said, "But we have the surveillance footage. Why don't we just change the date and deny that he came to the studio on April 12th?"
After thinking for a moment, Du Ze suddenly had a sudden realization—instead of trying to cover up the fact that the surveillance footage had been automatically overwritten, it would be better to take the initiative and seize control of the situation!
Moreover, Xu Shen's studio has a streamlined staff, and every employee is well-known. No matter how powerful Zhang Chaohe is, he cannot get deep into the studio!
Indeed, smart people have to work together with fools!
He immediately ordered someone to adjust the system time forward by one day, and then extracted a segment from 8 AM to 8 PM and posted it on Xu Shen Studio's official Weibo account: "A single taxi receipt cannot prove that someone came to the studio. Friends are welcome to check the surveillance footage for any signs of editing! [Fist pump]"
Du Ze was smugly looking at the well-supported counterattack on Weibo, and was about to praise Xu Shen for finally getting it right when he suddenly noticed that the top-rated comment was a completely nonsensical one: "[Seeing Luo Cheng bite my teeth so badly, he cursed me as a shameless little lackey!]"
Du Ze: What the hell?
⚹
Meanwhile, Li Yimao, who was embroiled in a plagiarism scandal, was seen munching on a pineapple while browsing comments. He remained completely unfazed, even cheerfully commenting on Xu Shen's acting: "Those eyes are so wide open, even the lower eyelids are spread open."
Li Yimao wasn't nearly as sensitive and melancholic as described in his essay—if he truly possessed such delicate emotions, he would have been driven to depression by Du Ze long ago.
Although he was really angry at first, he had no connections anyway, so he had to put up with whatever the manager wanted to do to him. He might as well try to cheer himself up, right?
But it was precisely this optimistic and laid-back personality that allowed him to successfully win over Boss Zhang and Sister Cheng. Sister Cheng handed him a big stick, and Boss Zhang beat him while he was down. Li Yimao had been gloating for almost a day.
"Sister Cheng, I really admire you. How could you come up with such a method? I am truly impressed." Although Li Yimao was a bit of a troublemaker, when he wanted to be sweet-talking, he could spew out a whole bunch of nice things. He sent the Weibo post he had already edited with one click, and then turned to look at Assistant Jiang with sparkling eyes: "Sister Jiang, you are also amazing. You can do this too."
Assistant Jiang disdained the back-and-forth with the fool and smiled professionally: "You're too kind. It's all thanks to General Manager Zhang's foresight."
The ball was passed to Mr. Zhang, and Zhang Chaohe nodded: "Thanks to the two older sisters."
Cheng Xuelan and Assistant Jiang were coaxed into smiling faces. Zhang Chaohe thought to himself that Jiasheng suffered this loss in the original story because he deliberately lowered his intelligence to punish the scumbags. How could a legal expert like Du Ze leave unscathed? Is the Ministry of Justice just a paid job?
Could it be because the option of legal repercussions simply wasn't included in older texts?!
They huddled together in their small training room, chatting away, paying little attention to the online drama. But as soon as Li Yimao posted his Weibo, it immediately escalated the all-day online feud to a new climax—
@李懿茂_V: I retrieved traffic surveillance footage from the area near your studio. It clearly shows that I entered the studio at 8:13 AM on April 12th and left at 7:45 PM. Twenty minutes later, Xu Shen also left the studio. Is the problem with your studio's internal surveillance system or the traffic camera footage?
The surveillance footage in the video is in the standard format of the traffic control system, with clear dates and times, clear images of people, and even the license plate number of Xu Shen's favorite car can be seen clearly!
Cheng Xuelan had already foreseen this day when she poached Li Yimao from Du Ze. She repeatedly examined Li Yimao's ghostwriting experience and came up with many ways to expose it—finally deciding to rely on the credibility of the traffic management department.
After the traffic video was exposed, regardless of whether Du Ze had fallen into the trap or not, his defeat was inevitable.
Not to mention she still hasn't released the most solid evidence!
This time, not only the general public but also Xu Shen's fans were in an uproar!
[Are you there? Come out and explain why the traffic cameras say there's someone there, but you say there isn't? Does Li Yimao think he's invisible in your studio's cameras? You insist you've never seen him, but the traffic cameras clearly captured him entering your studio.]
This is a devastating blow! The official stance has shattered the lies with a single punch!
[I'm truly heartbroken. We trusted the studio so much, and this is what we get in return? What are you hiding? Could it be that you really used ghostwriters?!]
Meanwhile, the group of netizens who went to the pink station to dig up Li Yimao's account also returned - everyone had mixed feelings, after all, although the songs on the account had different styles and forms, they all did carry "Xu Shen's distinctive personal style".
One of the songs, in terms of theme and style, is even very similar to "In This World" – a sister song!
If Li Yimao really copied them all, it can only mean that he climbed into Xu Shen's brain and stole these manuscripts!
Looking back now, there are indeed many suspicious points about Xu Shen: he became an instant hit when he was in a boy band, but because he didn't put on any effort, his public image was actually very poor, and everyone thought he was just a pretty face.
But ever since he participated in a singing competition, he has gradually been labeled as an "original musician" and a "singer-songwriter treasure." In addition, the quality of the songs he released was excellent, and he successfully transformed from a mere "traffic idol" to a "traffic flower." He even began to serve as a mentor on various music variety shows.
However, these facts alone are not enough to definitively prove that Xu Shen used a ghostwriter. If Li Yimao cannot produce more solid evidence, this matter will likely remain an unsolved case in the end.
"Let's not wait any longer, let's just not give him a chance to whine anymore." Li Yimao had eaten a whole pineapple all afternoon, and his mouth was sore from chewing. He touched his stomach and felt a little hungry: "Let's send this message and send him offline. Let's go eat hot pot."
Assistant Jiang gave him a long, meaningful glance, and Li Yimao immediately and respectfully lowered his hand from his stomach, then suddenly realized something: "Um... Mr. Zhang, would you mind having hot pot together?"
In his excitement, he forgot to ask if Mr. Zhang was a germaphobe. Eating hot pot is supposed to be a very intimate and happy thing, but Mr. Zhang has always been aloof and unapproachable; it's unclear whether he would be willing to eat hot pot with them.
"Not bad?" This time it was Zhang Chaohe's turn to worry as he patted his stomach. "It's just that eating hot pot at night is a bit fattening..."
I wonder if he can even keep those already sagging abs...
Seeing that the topic had slid into an unpredictable abyss, Cheng Xuelan had no choice but to compromise: "If they don't respond before seven o'clock, just post the last Weibo post, and we'll go eat hot pot."
It's time for this online flame war to end. If things had gone smoothly, Li Yimao would have skyrocketed to fame—however, he seems completely unmoved, his mind preoccupied with that evening's hotpot…
Xu Shen's studio has not responded, not only because of the embarrassment of being slapped in the face by the other side.
What should they respond to, and what else can they respond to?
It would have been better not to be so clever in the first place. Even if they had lied and said that the surveillance records had been overwritten, it would have been much better than the current predicament!
The best way to retaliate now is to produce the actual surveillance footage from that day—but Du Ze can't! After all, his itinerary for the entire day of April 12th is completely consistent with what Li Yimao disclosed, so releasing it now would be like exposing his own actions.
But Du Ze cannot admit defeat. Once the ghostwriting is confirmed, there is no need for Jiasheng to take action; the rivals will rush out first and completely bring down Xu Shen!
Xu Shen is finished, and so is he. Du Ze will never allow this to happen!
Send a lawyer's letter! No matter what, send a lawyer's letter first to buy time!
Nearly an hour later, faced with the plausible accusation of ghostwriting, Xu Shen's studio could only weakly issue a lawyer's letter filled with meaningless platitudes in response.
Just as Xu Shen responded, Li Yimao swiftly released solid evidence – a chat log from many years ago when Li Yimao sent Xu Shen the lyrics, music, and score of an entire song.
This chat log was saved on a broken old phone with a cracked screen. At that time, Xu Shen's profile picture was Luffy from One Piece, and he even said to Li Yimao, "Thank you, Brother Mao," in a friendly manner.
@李懿茂_V: It should end where it began. Du Ze, even the most meticulous plans can have flaws. This song, "The First Summer," worth 180,000 yuan, was originally intended for myself when I first became a singer.
But my summer ended before it even began.
After posting the last Weibo message, Li Yimao happily tossed his phone aside, stood up, and shouted with a loud laugh, "Time for hot pot!"
He smiled and then realized that Zhang Chaohe was looking at him gently. Everyone in the room was silent. Li Yimao reached out and touched his face, only to find that his face was streaked with tears, and his hands were covered with glistening tears.
Li Yimao sniffed heavily, and Zhang Chaohe came over and gently hugged him. There was a faint and calming minty scent in the man's clothes, like a vast and tranquil sea. Li Yimao's face quickly fell, his lips trembled slightly, and then he finally burst into tears.
Assistant Jiang quietly handed over a tissue box, and Li Yimao fumbled around and pulled out several tissues, pressing them all to his face—he belatedly realized that he seemed to have smeared snot and tears all over General Manager Zhang, and was immediately filled with an indescribable sense of shame.
Li Yimao covered his face with a tissue and rushed out of the training room, his hands and feet moving awkwardly. Zhang Chaohe looked down at the water stain on his shirt and said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "I'm going to change my clothes."
His shirt today was made of thin silk, and after being soaked with tears, it was almost possible to see through his flesh. Zhang Chaohe caught a glimpse of Cheng Jixue, who was smiling like a little fox, and was immediately embarrassed and angry. He pointed angrily and said, "You come with me!"
Cheng Jixue pointed to herself with a weak and innocent expression: "..."
Zhang Chaohe suddenly woke up with a start—what had he just farted?!
Before Zhang Chaohe could even try to salvage the situation, Cheng Jixue had already nimbly stood up and even gently and considerately took the suit jacket draped over his arm: "Mr. Zhang, give it to me."
Zhang Chaohe: "Wait a minute—"
Before he could even speak, Cheng Jixue expertly asked Assistant Jiang, "Does President Zhang have a spare shirt in the lounge?"
Jiang's Special Assistant: "Yes..."
That can't be! That can't be! Isn't she a close advisor to the emperor?! Could it be that this woman surnamed Cheng really wants to become a usurping concubine?!
The enchanting concubine smiled brightly and hurriedly led the bewildered and dazed Emperor away.
Cheng Xuelan and Assistant Jiang exchanged a glance, then asked with a heavy heart, "Are there really nothing between them? I wish I had known sooner so I could have done some public relations work..."
Even more heartbreaking is the case of Zhang Chaohe.
He tried to speak countless times, but then shut up again—he was the one who suddenly lost his mind. Cheng Jixue was really good-natured for not hitting him. How could he be worthy of protesting?
Cheng Jixue chuckled inwardly at his inwardly annoyed expression. As he gently ran his slender white fingertips over each crisply ironed shirt in the wardrobe, he innocently asked, "Which one would you like to wear today, Mr. Zhang?"
"Whatever you wear is fine."
The president's lounge is simply and cleanly furnished, yet it is not entirely devoid of traces of Zhang Chaohe's life, which is enough to show that President Zhang is a good president who is self-disciplined and has a clear sense of order in his life.
Cheng Jixue's voice grew even sweeter and warmer as he expressed his satisfaction. He tossed the minty-scented suit jacket onto the bed and casually pulled out a shirt from the same brand as Zhang Chaohe's, handing it to him: "Mr. Zhang, how does this look on you today?"
Zhang Chaohe stood awkwardly to one side, sensing that the situation was not good, but the reason why seemed beyond his comprehension. His ears turned red—an instinctive reaction, the confined space, the colliding hormones of mature men…
His eyelids twitched, and he finally realized what was wrong!
Zhang Chaohe hurriedly grabbed the shirt, the veins on the back of his jade-colored hand bulging. He straightened his back, trying to dispel the eerie atmosphere with a cold expression: "This one is fine. You go outside and wait for me."
Cheng Jixue pursed her thin, vermilion lips without any sign of distress, her slightly arched eyebrows suppressing the smile that was about to burst forth: "Okay, Mr. Zhang."