When Xiao He woke up, he was already in his own villa's big bed.
What's remarkable is that he didn't experience the discomfort of a hangover. After casually stretching in bed, he felt relaxed and refreshed.
Good morning, Brother Xiao!
After washing up and having breakfast, the first person to arrive at the villa was naturally the assistant, Xiao Chen.
"Good morning, have you had breakfast? I still have some bread here—"
"I've already eaten! By the way, how are you feeling now, Brother Xiao? Does your head hurt? Sister Liu asked me to bring a jar of honey, saying she'll give you a cup of honey water later."
"I feel great."
Xiao He stretched his limbs and felt that he had basically recovered.
"Let's have some."
As she spoke, Xiao Chen had already expertly found the water cup and spoon.
Xiao He didn't refuse: "Thank you, Xiao Chen!"
While Xiao Chen was preparing the honey water, Xiao He picked up his phone from the table and sat down on the sofa.
As soon as he turned on his phone, a trending topic popped up in front of him—
Su Shengxi announces his retirement from the entertainment industry.
【A Look Back at Su Shengxi's Most Memorable Moments】
【Was Su Shengxi forced to retire from the entertainment industry?】
...
Xiao He was shocked.
Did you eat this yesterday and then retire from the entertainment industry today?
That's incredibly fast!
However, this is actually quite normal. After all, things have escalated, and with the official statement, Su Shengxi's fans have suffered a complete defeat. Fans from other groups have swarmed in, and both genuine and fake smear articles about Su Shengxi are flying everywhere, almost pushing him to the brink of legal trouble.
If Su Shengxi had acted faster and withdrawn earlier, he might have been able to save face for himself.
At least on the surface, he can still barely save face—even if that face leads to his eventual retirement.
Of course, Su Shengxi's retirement from the entertainment industry was inevitable for insiders like Xiao He. After a moment of surprise, it wasn't so unexpected. But for many others, it was like a bolt from the blue.
【Huh? Who retired? Am I still half asleep?】
【Is this the Su Shengxi I know? Could it be someone with the same name?】
【Wow, it really is Su Sung-seok! Go check his Weibo, he posted his retirement announcement himself!】
【Oh no, now when I hear his own posts, I start to doubt if it's really him. After all, what happened before is still fresh in my mind. Could it be his management company pulling some strings?】
After all, he was once a top idol who reached the pinnacle and enjoyed a long period of glory. When many people saw this news, their first reaction was disbelief.
After all, that's Su Shengxi! The one with overwhelming popularity, who debuted with countless fans' expectations and shone brightly on stage.
Su Shengxi was once sincerely loved by many young girls, and they personally helped him rise to the top.
No one expected that Su Shengxi would exit in such a dismal way, and that the root of all the events was simply a media storm.
Public opinion is the most common battleground in the Chinese entertainment industry. But generally speaking, as long as they don't end up being sent to work for the government, they can always start over and fight again on the big stage of the Chinese entertainment industry, no matter how big the storm of public opinion is.
As for someone like Su Shengxi, there's even less to worry about. As long as he has a reputation, he's still in power. Behind him, there's even a large group of mindless, die-hard fans who would do anything for him. Logically speaking, even if he lost this battle of public opinion, he shouldn't have ended up like this, or even have to issue a statement retiring from the entertainment industry.
So almost no one expected that Su Shengxi would choose to retire from the entertainment industry.
Xiao He followed the trending comments to Su Shengxi's Weibo account and, sure enough, saw Su Shengxi's post.
【Jiaxing Entertainment - Su Shengxi: Dear friends, I am very sorry, this is the last time I will post this on Weibo as an artist. At this moment, with a heavy heart and filled with guilt, I, Su Shengxi, officially announce my retirement from the entertainment industry.】
As a public figure, I am deeply sorry for failing to guide public opinion effectively, which has sparked public discussion and consumed public resources. I feel remorseful for all the recent controversies caused by me. Faced with the increasingly out-of-control public opinion, I gradually realized that my personal strength was insufficient to quell this situation. In order to prevent more people from being involved and to shoulder the responsibilities I should bear, I had to make this choice.
【I am very grateful to my fans for their continued support and unwavering commitment. I also sincerely apologize to those who have been hurt or suffered because of my fans. I will apologize to each and every one of them on their behalf and offer compensation. I hope everyone has a peaceful and successful future. Thank you very much.】
After reading Su Shengxi's statement about leaving the entertainment industry, Xiao He clicked his tongue and couldn't help but admire Su Shengxi's ability to shift blame and play dumb.
To summarize this statement simply, it boils down to one point—the fans are the ones who are wrong, I am not wrong, but for the sake of my fans, I choose to voluntarily leave the entertainment industry.
Even at a time like this, this guy still can't resist tormenting his fans and shifting some responsibility.
All I can say is, he truly lives up to his reputation as Su Shengxi.
As expected, the comment section was filled with fans crying.
【Waaah, baby, you did nothing wrong! It's all our fault! Let them come at us! We're not afraid! Please don't leave the industry!】
【I'm sorry, Su Shengxi, I underestimated you. I didn't expect you to show such manly qualities at this time. It was worth it for me to have been a fan of yours.】
【I thought I had stopped loving you, but seeing this statement still brought tears to my eyes. I've been a fan of yours since your trainee days, and I even voted for your debut spot back then. Later, when you started dating, I chose to offer my blessings, but I couldn't convince myself to continue liking you, so I chose to unfollow you. But I never expected that the next time I'd see you, it would be the news of your retirement from the entertainment industry...】
【Don't quit the entertainment industry! Don't quit! Was it those stars from "Shining Stars" who forced you to quit? Speak up! If you agree, we'll wipe out the entire entertainment industry today!】
【It's all your fault! Don't you understand? Su Shengxi was driven away by you irrational fans! You insulted Xiao He, fine, but you had to report the "Shining Stars" production team and offend Su Shengxi's boss! Now look what happened! No one needs to argue anymore, Su Shengxi has left the entertainment industry, are you satisfied now?】
【Fine, fine, my heart is completely dead. Since that's how it is, I'll be Xiao He's hater for life. I'll just wait for him to die.】
【I hate everyone! Cangxing Shanzhao, die, die, die!】
Xiao He's eye twitched as he watched the increasingly frenzied comment section.
No, Su Shengxi retired from the entertainment industry, so how is he still involved?
Xiao He browsed through the comments section, then laughed in exasperation.
Alright, so that's what Su Shengxi was up to. Even after retiring from the entertainment industry, he didn't forget to turn his fans into his haters.
But upon closer reflection, it seems there's not much difference, since most of Su Shengxi's fans are actually his haters...
Xiao He recalled for a moment, then shrugged.
Okay, then we don't need to worry about it too much.
What's reassuring is that even amidst the fans' final frenzy, there were still comments from ordinary bystanders.
【Su Shengxi retiring from the entertainment industry is actually the best choice. His fans have offended the capital, and the "Hidden Stars" scandal has dealt a significant blow to his future acting career. Retiring now is a way for him to preserve his last shred of dignity.】
【Yay! Su Shengxi has finally retired from the entertainment industry! His crazed fans can finally shut up.】
【To be honest, there's nothing to regret. A cancer in the Chinese entertainment industry is finally gone, and the air feels so much fresher.】
【Su Shengxi has already retired from [N O V E L I G H T] the entertainment industry, what more do you want? Are you still going to hunt him down here?】
【Uh, this situation inexplicably reminds me of a saying: "He's just 'dead,' not 'he's gotten better." Now, I'd like to apply that same logic to Su Sung-seok's fans.】
