Chapter 967: Chapter 966: Ye Xian’s Heartache
When Jiang Wen first received the call, he thought it was some audacious celebrity team eyeing Ye Xian’s current resources and popularity, secretly obstructing him and spreading some baseless scandals to tarnish him. But when he opened Weibo, listened to the audio inside, and enlarged the photos, he was momentarily stunned.
The voice was identical to Ye Xian’s, and the person in the photo was indeed Ye Xian!
He was so nervous that his hair stood on end, his mind racing with thoughts questioning whether Ye Xian had reverted to his old ways. He forced himself to stay calm and listened to the audio again carefully.
He realized that although the voice inside was identical to Ye Xian’s, the manner and tone of speech were completely different. Even when Ye Xian was angry or impatient, his tone was at most lazy or he wouldn’t speak at all, always carrying an air of elegance and poise, never speaking in such a hurried and hostile manner, even in his past.
But in the photo... it was indeed him. He had been a celebrity agent for many years and could instantly tell the authenticity of various leaked photos. Moreover, the background of this photo seemed to be the private lounge bed of "Imperial Power" where Ye Xian was currently filming, which he had visited previously.
But how could Ye Xian be with a female model? While he had changed quite a bit over the past year, he was always very devoted in relationships, devoted to liking men, let alone now being with President Bo. Wasn’t he afraid President Bo would break his legs?
It must be fake!
Jiang Wen immediately called Ye Xian after watching, but no one answered even after three attempts. Anxiously, he called Zhou Lu, who immediately took a taxi to the Elegant Royal Court Villa District after receiving the call.
"This little ancestor! How could he turn off his phone while sleeping, and not even be on set? I hope Xiao Lu can find him quickly, or things will escalate even more by daylight..."
While Jiang Wen was anxiously pacing around, his phone received a fresh piece of news.
This time it wasn’t gossip entertainment news but social current events, but Ye Xian’s name was glaringly posted on it.
#At 3:45 a.m., there was a major car accident in the city center on Chunxi Road, the deceased’s identity has just been confirmed as Zhang Weilin, the rumored girlfriend of superstar Ye Xian#
At the appearance of Zhang Weilin’s name, Jiang Wen’s pupils shook.
Dead... she’s dead?
No need to wait for daylight, this is a matter of life and death right now.
Who is behind this fiasco, trying to get Ye Xian killed?
As soon as Zhang Weilin’s car accident death was spread online, it immediately created a sensational wave, pushing Ye Xian, already deep in a whirlpool of public opinion, to the forefront.
An entertainment gossip scandal developed into a real-time news involving human life, causing a strong social stir and reaction, with people from all walks of life flooding into the hot search, slamming Ye Xian with invective, and online public opinion was almost lynching Ye Xian through the wire.
[What??? Zhang Weilin is dead!!! Were those three Weibo posts her last words?!]
[Zhang Weilin must have exposed Ye Xian’s scandal, and Ye Xian retaliated by sending someone to run her over with a car, right?]
[Oh my God, I never expected things would go this way, this is a real human life we’re talking about! Is Ye Xian even human?]
[Hell is empty, and all the devils are here]
[Never thought he was such a wolf in sheep’s clothing, viciously cold-blooded beast, actually cruel enough to harm a woman! The law must punish him severely!]
[She was just a pitiful woman, why did Ye Xian have to go so hard on her? It makes me so angry I’m shaking all over, I really want to kill this beast]
[And fans are still defending him, are you even human? Are you blinded by pig’s lard in chasing stars, licking even a murderer?]
[Regardless of fandom, he took the life of a flower-like girl, even an international superstar must die!]
[Murderer Ye Xian, get out of the entertainment industry!!]
[Ten thousand people petitioning in blood for superstar Ye Xian to atone for his sins with death!!]
...
The overwhelming public opinion pierced through the tranquil early morning like knives and swords. Holding his phone, Jiang Wen listened to the PR team on the other side collapsing: "All exits of the company are blocked, the ’Imperial Power’ crew has also been forced to evacuate within an hour. The crowd’s emotions are overwhelming, some security guards were injured. We’ve already asked for help from the main group, but they say President Bo is currently abroad attending a very important meeting. Without his orders, no one can act arbitrarily, Jiang, should we issue a statement to control the situation for now?"
"No, if we can’t produce the most compelling evidence to prove Ye Xian’s innocence, an empty statement will only further escalate the conflict, wait a moment..."
Imperial Capital, 4:30 a.m., Rome time 9:30 p.m., Pang Kai walked out of the first conference room with a file folder in hand; his phone in his pocket had been vibrating constantly. He took advantage of a bathroom break to pull out his phone, and when he saw the sky-filled rumors about Ye Xian online and the text from Jiang Wen, his mind momentarily froze. He subconsciously wanted to report to the CEO, but...
He glanced a few times at the distinguished man in the conference room conversing gently with the black representative. This ELDY jewelry exhibition had sparked a huge commotion over racial discrimination, which has always been a sensitive issue abroad with many bloody counterexamples right before their eyes. Earlier, even century-old brands with senior qualifications than BHS were expelled from the market over it. If not handled well, BHS might lose half of its foreign market or worse.
This time the president himself stepped in; the situation looked promising, and it was now a crucial meeting. Judging from the other party’s expression, he was satisfied. If Pang Kai barged in now to report this to the president, given how much the president cares about Ye Xian, he would certainly temporarily set aside this matter to deal with the public relations...
No, he must not go in!
But the CEO had previously instructed that Ye Xian’s matters should be reported to him immediately at any time.
Pang Kai stared at the CEO’s phone in his hand, battling internally for a long time until reason from being in his position prevailed.
He called Jiang Wen and Xiao Sui separately.
"I’ve already informed President Zhao and You Shi, staff can be dispatched to Star Entertainment at any time to maintain order. Also, under no circumstances should Ye Xian leave her home! Her identity hasn’t been exposed and outsiders shouldn’t find her, but just in case, keeping her safe is the top priority!"
"Xiao Sui, do you know about Ye Xian’s situation?"
Xiao Sui replied: "I just received news from Star Entertainment’s PR team. I’ve already checked the account’s ID address; they’re all virtual and the source code has been completely erased, clean and thorough, seems premeditated, nothing left behind. Whoever’s behind this isn’t just anyone ordinary. I’m currently investigating the car accident involving Zhang Weilin, hoping to find some clues, and as for the little sister-in-law, don’t worry. I’ve set multiple walls on her phone, no attacks can penetrate it."
"That’s good, make sure to find out the truth quickly!"
a.m., the east of the Imperial Capital dawned, clouds steaming, rosy clouds rising.
Ye Shaowen’s biological clock went off; groggily he picked up a phone next to him, walked to the bathroom, unbuckling his pants while turning it on. Last night was his parents’ 28th wedding anniversary, and he and his siblings celebrated a bit excitedly, drinking some alcohol and staying up late. He even collected all the phones, and now this phone with the big bad wolf wallpaper wasn’t his, it should be Xiao Yezi’s?
As the phone turned on, countless calls, texts, and app notifications came flooding in like a tide. He paused, and after realizing what the messages conveyed, his nerves twitched, fully waking up.
The first thing he did was turn to grab his own phone, where the PR department had already called him over a dozen times, all about the Xiao Yezi news.
"President Ye, you finally answered the phone..."
"Remove as many trending topics and drafts as possible. If it doesn’t work, contact the entertainment companies to buy information on other artists to overshadow it!"
"Today’s task for the tech department is to stop everything and focus entirely on searching all data and whereabouts of Zhang Weilin before her death!"
"Understood!"
This matter must not be known to Xiao Yezi...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The door suddenly knocked, and Zhou Lu’s voice came from outside, "Brother Ye, Brother Ye! It’s Xiao Lu, something happened!"
Ye Juncheng heard the noise and walked out of the bedroom. Xia Hewan, wearing pajamas, ran downstairs, "Why did I see news about Xianxian?"
"Shh—"
Ye Shaowen was about to stop but turned around to see Ye Xian rubbing her sleepy eyes, like a lazy cat, half-squinted curiously asking him, "Shush what? What news about me?"
"Uh..." Ye Shaowen immediately clutched her phone tightly, "No news about you, it’s just some gossip about shooting scenes and actresses. You stayed up so late last night, look at your swollen eyes, quickly go back to sleep, I-I got you a leave today!"
"?"
Ye Xian looked at his overly anxious demeanor, even stuttering while speaking. She quickly snatched the phone while he wasn’t paying attention, "Second brother, your acting is too clumsy, you don’t sound convincing at all, did the CEO call me..."
She stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
How come so many messages popped up in WeChat and the contact list, from Jiang Wen, FOR, the crew, co-actors, Xiao Lu, Shanshan...
Too many to count, making her head spin; all asking her about some scandal with someone named Zhang Weilin. Before she could respond, she saw the overwhelming push notifications of news.
Her name was plastered across today’s front page, followed by a few glaringly red words ’Popular Young Actor Suspected Murderer’
Ye Shaowen gritted his teeth, regretting not coaxing her earlier.
"What’s going on?"
Ye Juncheng took the phone, and upon seeing the news, his brows furrowed tightly into a frown.
Ye Zhuoxuan and Xia Hewan were also baffled, "How could this happen? This is clearly a smear!"
After reading the news, even though Ye Xian was also puzzled, her face wasn’t as surprised as theirs, because after seeing that intimate bed photo, she vaguely remembered the events of yesterday... It turned out it wasn’t a nightmare, but really happened.
Indeed, during her nap, there was a woman undressing her, kissing her, and even taking pictures.
Jiang Wen called for the nth time, finally connected, "Oh my ancestor, you finally answered the phone, you know what happened, right? What’s really going on with you and that Zhang Weilin?"
"I don’t know."
"You don’t know? Not even a bit? Then why did she fabricate this scandal with you, and what’s with that photo? Ye Xian, you have to tell me the truth."
"Yesterday, during a nap on set, I vaguely felt someone undressing me, but I was too sleepy and didn’t see who it was. You can check the set lounge’s surveillance."
"I already checked the surveillance, but the crew said it happened to be broken that day, and some crew materials were destroyed by agitated crowds. The crew members are all transient, without electronic records, finding the person is practically impossible..."
"Enough!"
Ye Shaowen suddenly grabbed her phone, "It’s obvious Xiao Yezi was framed, she’s been filming all along, how could she know anything?! This is a failing of your job, get moving on the investigation instead of making things difficult for her here?!"
Jiang Wen was momentarily taken aback by this inherently authoritative tone, unable to respond.
Wait, where is Ye Xian now? And who is this firecracker?
Ye Shaowen hung up the phone, placed his hands on Ye Xian’s shoulders, and comforted, "Xiao Yezi, listen to me, it’s clear someone intentionally framed you, I’ve already got the company investigating, don’t overthink it, just wait for good news."
"If the matter isn’t fundamentally resolved, it’s hard to quell public opinion." Ye Juncheng, "Shaowen, go to the company to follow up on the investigation progress, don’t just suppress public opinion blindly, be careful of backlash and giving others leverage. I’ll go to the Chunxi District Traffic Department to find the truth behind the car accident."
"Got it!"
"Mom and Dad, don’t go anywhere today, just stay home with Xiao Yezi, don’t let her step out!"
"Got it, don’t worry."
Who is trying to frame her?
A rival?
Currently, including her, there are only eight top figures in the entertainment circle. Chu Yao is banned, excluding FOR, the other three she typically has no conflict with, and they don’t operate in the same field, it’s unlikely they’d make a move, and even if they did, it would be minor, how could it escalate to murder?
And who on earth is Zhang Weilin? Where did the audio come from or how was it made? How did she manage to infiltrate the set...
Countless mysteries hovered above Ye Xian’s head, Ye Zhuoxuan and Xia Hewan beside her comforted her not to overthink, Ye Xian took her phone, intending to understand more, but then saw the third and fourth trending topics glaring at her—#Ye’s Fans Murderer’s Knife#, #Huihui Doxxing#
Her previously confused expression instantly changed, clicking on the trends, the first post with tens of millions of views on Weibo was full of sarcasm towards Ye’s Fans:
Come and see the deluded statements from the toxic fandom of Ye’s Fans, asking for a hammer and getting hammered, it’s already turned deadly, yet they still defend their ’murderer brother’! They’re chasing idols to the point of being utterly shameless, I bet even if Ye Xian kills another person, they’d eagerly offer the knife!
[Audio can be made, pictures can be Photoshopped, and even the official haven’t announced the exact cause of the car accident, how dare you direct the knife towards Brother Ye? How are you any different from a murderer?]
