Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen
Surfing netizens were still in a daze, but after a while, they noticed that Yan Shu’s Weibo ID had also changed.
From [SAP-Yan Shu] to [Yan Shu], and the profile picture had changed from a personal photo to a white plum, as if bidding farewell to the past.
This saddened Yan Shu’s true fans.
A blogger on Weibo posted a direct video of Yan Shu’s performance on stage, claiming to have attended an SAP show offline and was deeply attracted by Yan Shu under the lights at that time.
During the days when Yan Shu was targeted by the entire internet, this Weibo post either got restricted, or was bombarded by a group of obviously fake accounts.
The casual onlookers who didn’t really know Yan Shu couldn’t see these videos at all.
It was quite eerie, as if an invisible hand controlled the internet.
It wasn’t until Yan Shu announced his departure today that those fake accounts suddenly disappeared without a trace.
More and more comments from genuine fans were being seen.
[Having been in this industry before, the obvious outcome under capital influence, no need to say more, just here to express a sigh, in this circle, never offend the big shots.]
[I really didn’t want to see Yan Shu’s news those days, yet it kept getting pushed to me. Turns out there was a hidden hand behind it.]
[I’m particularly curious, who did Yan Shu offend in the end? Is it related to the video of him fighting that day?]
[Maybe the person he offended was at that dinner party, perhaps it was the person who got beaten?]
[Although I don’t admire Yan Shu, being forced out of the industry by capital, I can’t help but sneer.]
[Isn’t this terrifying? Some fans from other fandoms shouldn’t be so hypocritical. If it were your idol being forced out of the industry, would you still be able to laugh?]
[It’s terrifying to think about. Maybe Yan Shu’s Weibo posts weren’t even voluntary. There might be someone threatening him behind the scenes, saying if he didn’t leave the industry and continued, he’d face a fate of being blacklisted.]
[Sigh, nowadays, artists have become commodities, those evil capitalists!]
Once again, the online world was abuzz with discussions about Yan Shu leaving the industry, while the person at the centre of attention was at the airport, dragging a suitcase to bid farewell to everyone.
“You don’t have to walk me any further; I need to go through security soon.” Yan Shu adjusted his mask.
Yan Shu had splurged on buying his own plane ticket because he had never flown before and wanted to experience the charm of modern technology.
Initially planning to go alone, his friends eventually found out, and insisted on helping him upgrade to business class.
Yu Chenzhou and the others considered Yan Shu’s safety and also wanted him to have a comfortable journey back. They planned to message him as soon as he got off the plane.
Each one was like a concerned parent advising their own child not to talk to strangers.
Being in the entertainment industry for a long time can lead to PTSD.
Some extreme haters might engage in malicious activities offline.
There were too many people online criticizing Yan Shu, making it hard to distinguish between the trolls and genuine haters, just keeping a cautious eye out was a wise choice.
Fortunately, the flight from Jing City to J City1This should be equivalent to Jiangnan in real life only took an hour and a half. After landing, Yan Shu would only need to take a two-hour bus ride to reach his hometown.
“Yan Shu, have a safe journey.”
“Xiao Yan, we’ll miss you. Watch us shine on TV!”
“Goodbye, take care of yourself.”
“Stay safe on the road, Xiao Yan.”
Yan Shu waved back at them with a smile and eventually turned to enter the security gate.
The four of them watched his slender figure disappear, feeling a mix of emotions.
Their former teammate was about to leave permanently. They had to carry Yan Shu’s blessings with them as they ascended to the peak!
Just like their team name SAP—
Standing at the Peak!
…
Qiyun Bay.
The private doctor of the Wei family had just removed the stitches from Wei Tingxiao’s arm.
The irregular lifestyle from before had been completely restrained during these five days back at the old house.
Waking up at seven every day, going to bed at nine-thirty in the evening, Wei Tingxiao almost felt like he had prematurely retired.
There was no way around it, with a mom who loved worrying and a dad who loved nagging.
These few days, he had completely isolated himself from the world, barely going online, and just exchanging a few words with the director from the crew.
The director felt sorry for his injury, telling him not to force it and to fully recover before returning to the set, especially since he didn’t have many scenes left.
When Wei Tingxiao first entered the entertainment industry, he was noticed by Director Ren Zheng. The first film he starred in after his debut became a national hit, making everyone truly recognize Wei Tingxiao as an actor.
Director Ren and him had a friendship of many years; he was not just his mentor but also his friend.
Today, the two of them chatted on the phone again. Director Ren mentioned that he wanted to film content related to traditional arts and culture in his next project, showcasing the hidden treasures of the country to the younger generation.
Wei Tingxiao agreed with Director Ren’s vision and ideas.
“I have 100% trust in you. Anything from Director Ren is bound to be a masterpiece.”
“Don’t flatter me. The real star of my show is the big movie emperor Wei, my living advertisement. We’ll rely on your popularity to boost the crew.” Director Ren teased.
Talking about filming, Wei Tingxiao instantly thought of Yan Shu.
He had planned to recommend this handsome young man to Director Ren next time they met. Wasn’t this a perfect opportunity?
“Um… I have a somewhat reluctant request. I want to bring a young boy into the crew; he’s a newcomer and extremely good-looking! I think he has great potential, although his acting skills might be a bit raw. But it’s okay, I’ll personally train him, and he definitely won’t embarrass you.”
Wei Tingxiao rarely recommended others to him, so Director Ren was surprised and curious, “You’re so confident, of course, I agree.”
“You’re so straightforward, haha! Thank you for your trust! You didn’t even ask who I was recommending?” Wei Tingxiao took advantage of the situation and acted cute.
Director Ren cooperatively asked, “What’s his name? I know some good-looking newcomers in the industry.”
Wei Tingxiao chuckled, “Well, you probably won’t know him. His name is Yan Shu, a member of a boy group. He’s not a graduate from a performing arts school, doesn’t have a major work, and isn’t very famous.”
Director Ren: “…”
Not very famous?
Wei Tingxiao: “Hello? Director Ren, is your signal bad? Why did it suddenly go silent?”
At that moment, a sigh was heard from the other end of the line.
Director Ren: “I indeed don’t know much about boy bands, but the kid you mentioned, Yan Shu, is someone I recognize.”
Wei Tingxiao was amazed, “Ah? Director Ren, you’re quite knowledgeable, with a wide circle of acquaintances.”
Director Ren hesitated for a moment and asked, “Have you… not been online recently? The whole internet is filled with news about his departure from the industry. Didn’t he tell you himself?”
“What are you talking about? Quitting?” Wei Tingxiao was completely dumbfounded. What nonsense was Director Ren spouting?
Just a few days ago, he was watching the other’s singing and dancing videos in the hospital…
Wei Tingxiao’s heart trembled, and after saying, “Director Ren, sorry, let’s talk next time,” he hung up the phone.
He had been living like a hermit these days, not caring about what was trending on Weibo.
Moreover, he had disabled push notifications for all his apps on his phone.
If he didn’t open the apps, he wouldn’t know about any major news that happened that day.
The rapid development of the information society had made it so that vast and complex information fragments flew into everyone’s phones. Wei Tingxiao didn’t like the feeling of passively receiving information; he preferred to be in control.
For example, he suddenly became narcissistic, actively searching his name on Weibo and only reading the comments that praised him210/10 behaviour. I do this too sometimes.
Whether in work or life, he was probably the type who never let himself be drained, only draining others like an iron man.
But this time, because he didn’t have trending news pushed to him, he missed out on a lot of news…
All of it was about Yan Shu.
To this day, Yan Shu still dominated the top trending spot, with a ‘quitting’ tag following, marking the desolate ending of ‘Yan Shu leaving the industry’.
Wei Tingxiao’s hand shook as he clicked on the top trending search, and his emotions were complex at the moment.
When he found out, it felt like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. After reading Yan Shu’s Weibo post about leaving the industry, a wave of bittersweet emotions began overflowing from his heart.
What had online violence brought upon this 20-year-old boy?
Later, Wei Tingxiao went back to review all the articles related to Yan Shu from the past few days.
The more he scrolled, the more his hands shook, a surge of anger emanated from within him, veins popping on the back of his hand, almost wanting to crush his phone.
He saw the video of Yan Shu fighting, and the upload time was the day after the other person went to the hospital.
In other words, that evening he had escaped from that trashy dinner party.
He had only met Yan Shu three times, theoretically they should be strangers, but at this moment, Wei Tingxiao couldn’t help but feel intense heartache.
How painful must it have been for the boy when all those criticisms were aimed at him?
In the photo on the Weibo post about his departure, Yan Shu looked exceptionally handsome.
After enduring all the malice, he could still display such a pure side. The more he smiled like that, the more uneasy Wei Tingxiao felt in his heart.
Wei Tingxiao had a cousin he was very close to since childhood, who was around the same age as Yan Shu.
He felt like he might have subconsciously started to see Yan Shu as a little brother. Both his cousin and Yan Shu were kids in his eyes.
So, in the hospital, Yan Shu’s fragile appearance particularly triggered Wei Tingxiao’s protective instincts.
He wanted this kid to recover quickly and hoped he would have a stable job.
Wei Tingxiao hadn’t even realized his natural inclination to protect Yan Shu when he did all this, and now he had no time to dwell on the reasons.
His emotions were so overwhelmed at the moment, he urgently needed an outlet.
If only he hadn’t been so sentimental back then and left his contact information with Yan Shu for repayment, then he wouldn’t be left without a phone call or a WeChat message.
Wait…
What was he thinking?
They exchanged WeChat, then what?
Could he shield Yan Shu from all disasters? On what grounds could he protect him?
In the other person’s perspective, they hadn’t even met three times.
To put it bluntly, this was a bit self-indulgent and meddling in other people’s business.
Wei Tingxiao felt like he was being torn apart. In the past, what did entertainment gossip have to do with him?
But now, he couldn’t help but want to stand up for the young man.
The water in the jar was so turbid, all mixed up, but Wei Tingxiao insisted on separating the black from the white.
The Wei family’s power in Jing City was considerable. Among the top aristocratic families, they held a prominent position.
After years in the industry, he was not just an actor but also part of the capital. Everyone had different ways of using power.
To the person smirking victoriously behind the scenes, Wei Tingxiao just wanted to tell them: Power is not a tool for bullying!
“Help me investigate this person in the video, I need detailed information, and also… I need to know everything the Longfeng SAP manager did behind the scenes.”
None of those guys were clean. If you deliberately looked into it, you could dig up any dirt. This was something he had long been familiar with since entering the entertainment industry.
After making this call, Wei Tingxiao lay back on the bed as if he had just exerted all his strength, staring at the gray ceiling. He couldn’t help but wonder—
Had that kid already left Longfeng Entertainment? What was he up to now?
No reuploading anywhere else.
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