Su Yang had been at the top for over three years.
He was a rare talent with both looks and skill, with fans spanning the five states of Great Xia, including men, women, elders, children.
The entertainment industry was a highly complex place, filled with constant scheming.
But it was also very simple, reduced to nothing but interests.
Su Yang became a refreshing presence in this world. He didnât sign with any agencies, didnât act in dramas, and didnât participate in variety shows. He solely focused on recording songs and dancing.
No one expected that one day his name would be associated with such scandalous terms.
[Am I seeing this right? Su Yang? The Su Yang I know???]
[Holy crap?! A big scandal to start the year?]
[These tags are terrifying, each one more explosive than the last. Donât scare me like this.]
[It suddenly broke out in the middle of the night, this seems planned. Su Yang sleeping with fans? What a joke!]
But when netizens clicked in, they found each tag accompanied by detailed texts, photos, and even videos.
Especially the one about Su Yang sleeping with fans.
The video showed him regularly performing at a bar. After his performance, he didnât leave but instead handed a drink to a female fan who came specifically to see him.
The female fan, overjoyed and unsuspecting, quickly drank the drink, soon becoming disoriented and being taken away by Su Yang.
The subsequent footage was censored.
Then there was the plagiarism accusation.
It compared a chorus from one of his songs in an album two years ago to an international diva Agatha Fieldâs song.
The main melodies of the two songs were quite similar.
For a singer who is also a creator, plagiarism is the greatest taboo.
One revelation after another left the gossiping netizens stunned.
They were like badgers leaping around in a melon field, excited to watch the drama unfold.
Su Yangâs fanbase was huge, and his public image was excellent.
When these issues surfaced, many peopleâs first reaction was disbelief.
[I donât believe it, I donât believe it! Su God couldnât possibly be that kind of person.]
[Iâve always said no one in the entertainment industry is clean, they all have dirt. Whatâs so unbelievable?]
[Xu Jianian only used his girlfriend fansâ money to support a young girlfriend, at most dragging Si Fuqing into being a scapegoat was scummy. But Su Yang, this isnât just scummy, itâs illegal.]
If there were no evidence, netizens would have just brushed it off.
But the problem was, the evidence was all laid out, and it looked very real.
Many people were starting to waver.
In Su Yangâs forum, fans who hadnât gone to sleep were awakened by the news.
Each of the accusations in the trending list alone was enough to incite public outrage, let alone five or six at once?
The forum was in chaos.
Soon, a prominent fan stepped in to moderate.
[Everyone, please stay calm. Weâve been fans of him for three years. Even if itâs hard to fully understand someone through a screen, we must have our own judgment and not be swayed by these rumors.
He has gone through so many hardships and still stood strong. I donât believe he is this kind of person.
But if he is, we definitely wonât defend him.
If he isnât, we must unite and find out who dares to slander him like this! This matter wonât be let go!]
These accusations clearly intended to send Su Yang to prison.
If someone was indeed behind this, their intentions were truly malicious.
Su Yangâs fans calmed down, waiting for his response.
But his forum had already been invaded by haters and trolls.
Even if his fans spoke reasonably, they were still chased and cursed in private messages.
This was destined to be a sleepless night.
The entertainment industry was more turbulent than ever.
Xu Xiyun had been staying at Su Yangâs studio after following him.
He woke up at 6:30 AM, habitually took out his phone, and was shocked by the news.
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and it was Su Yang. âStill not awake?â
Xu Xiyun was stunned for a second, then quickly grabbed his phone and got out of bed. âSomething happened, Brother Su, someone is trying to harm you!â
He knew Su Yang never looked at Weibo and didnât even have the app installed.
Unless Si Fuqing had something to promote, Su Yang would download and log into Weibo.
Su Yang clearly didnât know about this.
He paused. âHmm?â
âBrother Su!â Xu Xiyun stammered, âThey-they said you slept with fans and plagiarized!â
Su Yangâs expression changed, and he glanced at the screen.
Weibo was now a mess.
The latest post on his homepage had comments skyrocketing to five million.
Even when Xu Jianianâs scandal broke, it wasnât this intense.
âThis-this is impossible!â Xu Xiyun was frantic. âBrother Su, someone must have tampered with it!â
Su Yangâs eyes darkened. âI know.â
He had already suspected someone.
While Xu Xiyun was panicking, Su Yangâs phone rang, breaking the silence.
Su Yang came to his senses and answered it.
âMr. Su,â Jiang Changningâs voice was unusually urgent, âdo not come out. Iâve informed Sisi, and we will head to your place immediately. Please be careful.â
Su Yang paused, then smiled. âThank you.â
After the call, he exhaled slowly.
Being hit with so many fabricated accusations all of a sudden was indeed unexpected.
Clearly, the opponent had taken advantage of the fact that he didnât have a studio and couldnât respond quickly to refute the rumors.
Su Yang calmly reviewed the so-called evidence.
The video was seventy percent true and thirty percent false.
He had indeed performed at that bar and chatted with a fan, but the other parts were fabricated.
A skilled hacker had forged the latter part of the video.
But the thirty percent falsehood made netizens believe he had indeed slept with fans.
As for the plagiarism accusation, the two songs did have similarities, but both were composed by Si Fuqing.
He hadnât expected even this to be uncovered.
Su Yang pressed his temples, finding it tricky.
âBrother Su, thereâs a crowd downstairs,â Xu Xiyun peeked through the window and quickly drew the curtains. âNo wonder Miss Jiang told you not to go out.â
Su Yang pursed his lips. âI canât just sit here and do nothing.â
But he hadnât figured out a good way to clear his name yet.
Just then, the studio door was pounded on.
Xu Xiyun jumped. âBrother Su, are they coming here?â
âThere are security guards downstairs, they canât get in,â Su Yang shook his head. âGo see who it is.â
Xu Xiyun looked through the peephole. Before he could speak, a voice came from outside.
âMr. Su, President LI wants me to tell you, donât covet what you shouldnât. This is just a warning.â It was LI Yanchenâs new secretary. âBut if you beg President LI for mercy, you might be able to be a singer again. Itâs all up to you, Mr. Su.â
Su Yangâs expression turned cold. âSo it was you.â
âIt seems Mr. Su had expected this,â the secretary chuckled. âPresident LI is busy and doesnât have time to wait for your decision. If you delay, you might end up in jail with these accusations.â
Xu Xiyun was furious. âThis is malicious slander!â
The secretary sneered.
So what if it was slander?
If you have the ability, just overpower LI Yanchen.
But no matter how many fans Su Yang had, he was just a celebrity. Celebrities couldnât win against capital.
The secretary laughed again, about to say more, when his collar was suddenly grabbed tightly.
âClap, clap, clap.â Si Fuqing applauded, âWhat a grand tone, huh? Has LI Yanchen already become the emperor of the Great Xia Empire?â
Xu Xiyun, recognizing the familiar voice, opened the door. âTeacher Si!â
Su Yang was momentarily stunned.
He clearly saw sweat on Si Fuqingâs forehead.
The secretaryâs expression changed as he also recognized Si Fuqing.
âNewly appointed, no wonder,â Si Fuqing said coolly. âDaring to come here and act so recklessly, quite bold indeed.â
The secretary frowned. âMiss Si, this matter has nothing to do with you. President LIââ
His words were abruptly cut off.
âShang Lu,â Si Fuqing called out nonchalantly.
Shang Lu immediately stepped forward. âYes!â
âSpreading malicious rumors and defaming someoneâs reputation, arrest him,â Si Fuqing said, rolling up her sleeves. âGive him the maximum sentence possible.â
âYes!â Shang Lu twisted the secretaryâs arms behind his back. âBehave!â
The secretaryâs face twisted in fear, but he tried to maintain a brave front. âRumors? You have no evidence!â
âShut up,â Si Fuqing said coldly. âThis isnât your place to speak.â
Shang Lu shoved a smelly sock into the secretaryâs mouth. âDidnât you hear? Miss Si told you to shut up!â
Jiang Changning, who had arrived with them, was momentarily speechless.
She pondered.
Was this the famous smelly sock technique of the Thousand Army Alliance?
Xu Xiyun had calmed down. âTeacher Si, but onlineâ¦â
Su Yangâs fans were still holding on.
But the overwhelming abuse was nearly breaking their resolve.
They needed a perfect counterattack plan to clear Su Yangâs name.
âWhy panic?â Si Fuqingâs eyes were relaxed yet exuded a reassuring calm. âIâm here, donât be afraid.â