The following day, Ling Hui's studio released a very long clarification and lawyer's letter statement, which ignited the entire internet.
【Linghui Studio: Recently, Mr. Xiao He, an artist signed with Linghui Studio, has been the target of malicious rumors online. Many of the related statements are purely fabricated, and legal proceedings have been initiated. Linghui Studio hereby issues this solemn statement.】
The studio's subsequent clarification was a repost of Xiao He's post.
【Actor Xiao He: I've already called the police. This is a work-related issue; please don't involve my parents. 【Forwarded from Ling Hui Studio: ...】】
This news is the second major piece of gossip to attract attention after the announcement of the Magnolia Awards nominees.
【Holy crap, what happened? If I remember correctly, wasn't my brother Xiao filming abroad recently? When did he come back to China?】
【Brother Xiao didn't return to China because some people there couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to get back at him.】
【Huh? What's going on? I'm totally confused.】
【I know a little bit. Apparently, someone is spreading rumors that Xiao He's father is a corrupt official, and that Xiao He bullied girls in school, even driving one to jump off a building. It's absolutely outrageous.】
【Really? My God, I've never heard of this before.】
【Of course it's fake! Didn't you see the studio has already reported it to the police?】
【But how did this news get out? I'm a regular Weibo user, and I haven't seen any related leaks.】
【It seems to be circulating only in groups on different platforms, and the wording is very cryptic. I only found out they were talking about Xiao He after another group member decoded it.】
【Holy crap, it really happened! A while ago, someone in my elementary school classmates' group chat inexplicably said they had a juicy story and asked if anyone wanted to see it. They ended up posting dirt on Xiao He! It's ridiculous! Our elementary school classmates' group hasn't been active for over ten years, and this guy suddenly popped up again with some celebrity dirt. We were all completely baffled.】
【Wow, has spreading rumors and smear campaigns become this sophisticated now? They've even started doing it in private domains.】
【That's normal. Tencent's QQ Space used to be full of gossip and scandals about celebrities; they spread incredibly fast.】
【Here's something insider information: those who post this kind of news in groups of varying sizes get paid for it, so the people spreading this kind of information... ahem, those who know, know.】
【My goodness, the comments section has truly opened my eyes.】
...
This news from Linghui Studio nearly threw everyone else off balance.
Xiao He today is not the same Xiao He as before. His number of fans on various platforms has reached an astonishing level. Moreover, because he plays more serious roles that highlight his acting skills, and because the official organization previously vindicated him, the general public has a very good impression of him.
Many people find it hard to understand what's happening now.
Of course, it's not that Xiao He and his studio's actions are hard to understand, but rather that people who deliberately spread rumors about Xiao He are hard to understand.
【Haha, but I'm really laughing my head off! When Xiao He told me not to mess with his parents, I couldn't hold it in.】
【He laughed and then cried. Did ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) you think this was Brother Xiao's warning? Actually, he was truly out of options.】
【Who came up with such a dirty story? The video was stolen from that Indian guy next door, the post was from when Xiao He was in elementary school, and even the parents' jobs are completely different from the truth. It's ridiculous! If I were Xiao He, I'd be devastated too.】
【Actually, what I admire most is how Xiao He's studio managed to find so much evidence and launch such a strong counterattack. Especially that video from overseas; I haven't seen it on any domestic platforms, or even on the major international platforms. I don't know which dark web they retrieved it from; they're truly incredibly capable.】
【Indeed, that's quite impressive, and the studio reacted very quickly, providing all the evidence and detailed rebuttals in a short time. Very good. I usually criticize studios, but this time I really have to give them a shout-out.】
【Uh, could this be a staged event? The speed of this clarification is astonishing, and it's only being spread in group chats, so the impact is very small. The nominees for White Mulan were only recently announced, and they're already jumping around like this... emmm, I can only say that Xiao He's studio is really good at manipulating public opinion.】
【?】
【Sigh, when will this kind of anti-intellectual talk of "I'm the only one who's sober while everyone else is drunk" disappear? You mean, Xiao He was so bored that he spread rumors that he drove someone to their death and that his parents took money from the government? Then he must be a truly filial son.】
【The family is overjoyed with their grief.】
After posting the relevant update, Xiao He made another phone call home.
When Xiao's parents found out about this, they were equally furious. Fortunately, Xiao He had minimized the risk of their exposure. Although most netizens already knew about his parents' actual jobs, their lives were not affected in the slightest.
Xiao's mother even comforted Xiao He, saying, "This only means that our son is really going to become famous, attracting a lot of jealousy. This is a good thing. You should work hard, be careful, and be wary of those petty people. Your father and I are very safe. He is at work, and I am at school. We have proper access control and don't usually go far from home. You can rest assured."
"Okay, Mom."
Xiao He agreed verbally, but he still felt somewhat guilty.
Once he's finished with things here, he should go back and visit...
-
Beijing, Xingchen Entertainment.
"Holy crap? They even found this video?"
Qin Lezhang stared at the tablet in his hand in disbelief.
Wen Qi gave an awkward smile: "Their methods are indeed quite good."
Qin Lezhang muttered in dissatisfaction, "What kind of people did you hire? They're terrible!"
"It was my fault, but the police have already arrested them. As for the follow-up..."
"Give them some money and they'll shut up! Or do you want me to come in and have a chat with them?"
Qin Lezhang glanced sideways at Wen Qi.
Wen Qi wiped his sweat: "I understand, I'll make them shut up."
If they really get caught, it won't be this guy who suffers, but him.
"How's the ban going? How come Xiao He still dares to act up?"
Qin Lezhang was very unhappy.
"It did stop some film crews, but the impact on Shanghai was relatively small..."
Wen Qi carefully observed Qin Lezhang's expression.
"fine."
Qin Lezhang sneered.
“My dad has already gone to the group to find Uncle Song. He’ll have Uncle Song stop a few disobedient film crew projects, and they’ll naturally behave themselves.”
These days, whoever pays the money is the boss. Since they're not listening, we'll cut off their funding.
However, just as Qin Lezhang was feeling triumphant, his father, Qin Song, returned.
The middle-aged man sat on the sofa with a gloomy face and said nothing.
The tense atmosphere immediately made Qin Lezhang sit up straight, and Wen Qi had already wisely withdrawn from the "battlefield".
"What, what happened?"
Qin Lezhang cautiously inquired of his father.
"I don't know which bastard leaked my embezzlement to the company!"
Qin Song scratched his hair angrily. "Luckily, the higher-ups only told me to make up the difference and didn't call the police directly. Damn it, those bastards, don't let me find out who they are!"
Qin Lezhang was stunned for a moment, his mind first flashing to the speed and efficiency with which Xiao He had quickly found the original video on the external network, but then he shook his head, dismissing the ridiculous thought, and said instead, "Dad, is someone else messing with us?"
As a large conglomerate, StarShine Pictures has a lot of internal competition and factions.
For example, right now, they are all on Uncle Song's side, including the entire Xingchen Entertainment. In the power struggles within the group, they have always stood on Uncle Song's side.
As an entertainment company that holds contracts with multiple artists and has a decent level of popularity in the industry, Xingchen Entertainment has always been very profitable, and there is also a lot of lucrative business to be made.
Therefore, long ago, people from other factions were already eyeing Qin Song's position, wanting to get a share of the pie.
Qin Song had worked for many years and his position was as stable as Mount Tai. Even though his father had retired, his influence remained, and he also had a son who had become a sensation. It would be difficult for others to bring Qin Song down.
And this time...
Qin Song's eyes held a hint of complexity, but he maintained his composure in front of his son and said in a low voice, "There have been some recent changes in the group. Behave yourself and don't cause trouble."
"Don't worry, Dad."
Qin Lezhang nodded immediately.
