In the livestream, Shen Yi’s fans naturally refused to believe Qingyue’s words, and some were even provoked, torn between cursing Qingyue furiously while doubting themselves. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

[Shen Yi has been pretty close to Sang Ning lately. Could it be that Shen Yi and Sang Ning are really dating?]

Qingyue’s laughter became even more unrestrained as he mocked, "What’s wrong? You foolish fans of Shen Yi, are you breaking down? If I were to release the photos of Shen Yi doing unspeakable things, would you go and kill yourselves?"

This statement was purely an attempt by Qingyue to confuse listeners; he didn’t actually have such photos. Even if he did, they’d be doctored ones, and Sang Ning had already deleted them.

Anyway, with Sang Ning’s reputation in shambles now, Shen Yi being associated with her could kiss his chances of redemption goodbye.

Some fans passionately defended their idol, while some bystanders eagerly devoured the drama.

[This is insane! So, is the entertainment industry just a giant mess of chaos? Can I interpret this as Shen Yi using a sugar mommy to rise to fame, then going after female celebrities once he gained influence?]

[According to Qingyue’s lunatic claims, who’s targeting whom isn’t entirely clear. Didn’t he say Sang Ning vented Shen Yi’s frustration by beating him up once? Maybe it was Sang Ning interested in Shen Yi, making the move on him.]

[What should I do? As crazy as it is, why am I shipping them? Isn’t this just Sang Ning getting angry for her ’blue flame’? Regardless of Sang Ning’s character, this kind of beauty-saving-the-hero trope is winning her points. You rarely see someone this loyal in the entertainment circle.]

[Shipping everything will only hurt you. If Qingyue’s claims are true, wouldn’t Sang Ning be outright part of a criminal organization? If you were Qingyue, would you still ship them?]

The Sang Family’s troubles haven’t been resolved yet, and Sang Ning’s public reputation is terrible right now.

Qingyue’s crazy rant in the livestream didn’t just slander Shen Yi but also forcibly tied him to Sang Ning, spreading rumors that they were a couple. Many bystanders genuinely believed Shen Yi was dating Sang Ning.

Being associated with Sang Ning dragged Shen Yi’s reputation among the public down into ruins as well.

Everyone was eager to believe the narrative they imagined: Shen Yi and Qingyue debuted as part of the same group. If Qingyue willingly hooked up with a sugar mommy, Shen Yi surely wouldn’t be innocent either.

Shen Yi was branded as someone who plays around, with netizens mockingly calling him unmanly. As a male celebrity, he was condemned for his audacious behavior in dating behind fans’ backs, especially with someone like Sang Ning—a female star notorious for having human traffickers as her parents.

In response to the growing public uproar, Shen Yi’s studio quickly posted a lawyer’s statement on its Weibo account, condemning Qingyue’s baseless rumors.

But netizens were long past believing lawyer’s statements; plenty of celebrities used them as a shield when scandals erupted, but it didn’t stop the downfall. The best rebuttal was always solid evidence that humiliated the accuser.

Shen Yi’s side only releasing a generic lawyer’s statement didn’t seem very convincing.

...

Meanwhile, Chu Tian was also keeping an eye on the latest developments.

The police had visited him and Li Sulan, but the couple fended them off with pre-prepared scripts.

When the police asked tricky and probing questions, Li Sulan would lose her mind, crying and causing a scene right in front of them.

"Doctor Zhou couldn’t bear to see us live in lies any longer and kindly told us the truth. Is it wrong for us to express gratitude by sending him money? You police keep ignoring what needs attention but latch onto trivial matters like this. Does the Chu Family lack that little amount of money?"

Li Sulan’s skill in dramatics was unmatched; few women could outdo her.

First, she would display profound grief, throw the police into confusion, and then unleash a series of crazed, reverse accusations.

"And you lot—how long have you been investigating this? How much longer are you planning to drag it out? The facts are crystal clear! Scum like Sang Youming and Hu Zhi—if you don’t deal with them quickly, I’ll go to the police station every day and make a scene. I absolutely need to vent this anger for my daughter and us as a couple!"

Doctor Zhou’s death never had conclusive evidence tying it to Chu Tian and Li Sulan.

No matter how much Li Sulan lashed out at them, the police didn’t have countermeasures and could only back off temporarily, continuing to investigate for more evidence.

After the confrontation, the nerve-wracking tension Chu Tian and Li Sulan had been holding onto finally eased up.

"That scared the hell out of me. I thought we’d slip up just now," Li Sulan said, patting her chest to calm her racing heart.

The tactic of throwing tantrums was something Chu Tian had taught her. When faced with particularly tough police questions, they could invoke the identity of victims and make a huge fuss, adopting a moral high ground that left the police helpless.

The police working on the case all had some connections with Shen Fang. After dealing with Chu Tian and Li Sulan, they promptly relayed every detail of the conversation to Shen Fang.

After hearing their account, Shen Fang had only one impression: intentional. Li Sulan was performing a bit too intentionally.

Shen Fang knew Li Sulan somewhat—while unreasonable at times, she was always composed in front of strangers, never one to disgrace herself intentionally.

If someone as image-conscious as Li Sulan resorted to throwing public tantrums at the police, she must be trying to cover something up.

Shen Fang had been under immense pressure recently from Wen Jiu. If he couldn’t clear Sang Ning’s parents’ names, Wen Jiu might destroy him.

Although fighting for justice was police work, Shen Fang wasn’t in charge of this case. He could only give professional advice to assist them and, when possible, help gather evidence.

After the police left, Chu Tian decided to make a private call to Duan Wenhui.

However, Duan Wenhui seemed to view Chu Tian as useless now. Several calls went unanswered; after he finally picked up once, his attitude was cold and apathetic.

"President Chu, I’m very busy. Say what you have to say quickly."

Duan Wenhui’s dismissive and frosty tone irritated Chu Tian. Despite his displeasure, Chu Tian restrained himself, his expression tense but his voice carefully ingratiating.

"President Duan, about the matter you promised before—helping me connect with Hai Chuan Group’s Mr. Li—could we..."

Before Chu Tian could finish, Duan Wenhui interrupted impatiently, "Enough. Don’t you just want funding support? I’ve already provided you with a sum of money under Hai Chuan Entertainment’s name. Isn’t that enough?"

Chu Tian felt brushed off, his anger blazing uncontrollably. No matter how he suppressed it, his words remained confrontational.

"What’s this? Is President Duan planning to burn bridges? Don’t think you can use us and then kick us away—you seem to have forgotten we’re holding certain leverage against you."

Feeling the veiled threat in Chu Tian’s tone, Duan Wenhui stopped writing with her pen, her expression finally serious. "President Chu, what leverage? I don’t quite understand what you’re talking about."