Xia Qingtian's eyes held a trace of melancholy. After all, she had been in this circle for so long, and this was the first time she had her own career, and it was going so smoothly. She felt like she had regained control and embarked on a path completely different from her previous life.
That sense of honor and fulfillment was hard to put into words.
Even though she was making sacrifices now, the pain still gnawed at her in waves.
But she also knew that what needed to be cut must be cut.
"What?" the Xia family was shocked.
"Qingtian, isn't this your dream?" Aunt Liu asked Xia Qingtian, looking confused.
"Yes, sister, you... you really like your current job, don't you?" Although Xia Qingyu didn't want Xia Qingtian to work too hard, the current Xia Qingtian was clearly reluctant to leave the entertainment industry.
Xia Qingyu wanted Xia Qingtian to be happy, wanted Xia Qingtian to wait for her, and once she earned enough money, she would build a golden house for her sister!
"Qingtian, you..." Xia Honglang was also full of shock. He thought Xia Qingtian would act spoiled and refuse to yield, forcing him to compromise and help her refute the rumors.
Xia Qingtian's sudden talk of quitting the circle, without acting spoiled, being stubborn, or arguing loudly with him.
It completely caught Xia Honglang off guard.
"Sigh..." Xia Qingtian sighed heavily and comforted herself, "Anyway, you all don't support me much, so if I quit the circle, everyone will be happy, which is also quite good."
"Anyway, let's leave it at that." She propped herself up by her knees and stood up. Xia Qingtian looked at Xia Honglang, "Dad, thank you for your trouble in refuting the rumors. I'll go contact my agent and talk about quitting the circle."
Seeing Xia Honglang still looking shocked, Xia Qingtian gave a wry smile, "If I hadn't entered the entertainment industry, or if I hadn't run away from home back then, or... forget it, I won't say anymore. Dad, I've caused trouble for you and the Xia Corporation. I'm sorry. Having a daughter like me who is a worry is hard on you."
After saying this, Xia Qingtian turned and went upstairs.
Looking at Xia Qingtian's retreating back, Xia Honglang felt an unbearable tightness in his chest.
Logically speaking, he was the one who most wished Xia Qingtian would quit the circle. Since Xia Qingtian had taken the initiative to say she wanted to leave the entertainment industry, Xia Honglang should have been happy.
But seeing Xia Qingtian like this now, Xia Honglang felt incredibly uncomfortable and couldn't smile at all.
This was a sense of defeat he had never experienced before.
It was as if, in that instant, everything he had believed in for so many years had been shattered. He had become a complete failure, a failed father.
"Qingtian, this child..." Aunt Liu's eyes reddened, her heart filled with bitterness. "She must be feeling very guilty to be like this... She's at an age where she should be pampered, not yet at the age where she has to bear responsibility. She's just a student... yet she's so sensible it's heartbreaking. She... she didn't have to be so sensible..."
Xia Qingyu bit her lower lip without a word, feeling a dull ache in her heart.
She was still too weak. If she could be stronger, richer, if she had the ability to protect the people she cherished, none of this would have happened.
Xia Qingtian, who had gone upstairs, collapsed onto her bed. Even though she had made up her mind, she still felt very sad.
"I need to call Sister Ning first..." Xia Qingtian took out her phone and dialed Wen Ning's number. The call was answered quickly. "Sister Ning, I..."
"Sorry, Qingtian, I'm rushing to a meeting. I'll call you back after the meeting, okay?" Wen Ning's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding genuinely in a hurry.
"Okay, let's talk later then." Seeing that Wen Ning was busy, Xia Qingtian hung up the phone.
She then extended her fingertip and scrolled through her contacts.
"I really miss when I could discuss anything with Mobius..." Xia Qingtian's fingertip lingered on the name Mobius.
She hadn't changed this name yet.
Pressing her lips together, Xia Qingtian thought for a long time before finally deciding to press it.
"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed is currently busy..."
"I'm such an idiot," Xia Qingtian said, listening to the electronic voice on the other end of the phone, sighing heavily. Since Wen Ning was in such a hurry to get to a meeting, Mr. Gu must also be at the meeting. Why was she calling him now?
In fact, Mr. Gu was indeed at the meeting, but at this moment, he was answering another person's call.
"Xia Corporation will cooperate fully with this matter," Xia Honglang said, talking to Mr. Gu from his study. "Qingtian has been kind since she was little. This time she even said she was willing to quit the entertainment industry..."
"What?" Mr. Gu frowned slightly upon hearing this. Xia Qingtian was going to quit the entertainment industry?
"I know she's saying this because she's caused trouble for Xia Corporation and for me, out of guilt. She's always liked singing and dancing since she was little. I... I know it might be irresponsible to say this now, but I really hope she's happy." Xia Honglang felt an indescribable sadness. "As parents, we are always conflicted."
"Mr. Xia, I can understand your thoughts," Mr. Gu said after a moment of thought. "In any case, I will talk to Qingtian about her situation."
"As for asking Xia Corporation to assist in refuting the rumors, I will contact you later. We are about to hold a meeting regarding this matter," Mr. Gu said.
"Alright, then Mr. Gu, you go ahead and be busy." Hearing that Mr. Gu was busy, Xia Honglang immediately said, "I won't bother you any longer."
After hanging up the phone, Mr. Gu pushed open the meeting room door. Everyone else had already arrived. Upon seeing Mr. Gu, they all held their breath and looked focused.
"What's the situation now?" Mr. Gu asked after taking his seat.
"Currently, the online criticism is one-sided. There are also various paid trolls controlling the comments. It seems everyone wants to take advantage of this momentum to completely crush Xia Qingtian."
"The most affected is 'Flower Moon Cherishes Spring Most.' The filming is almost finished. After this incident, everyone is calling for boycotts, demanding that Xia Qingtian's scenes be deleted or that her face be altered."
"Some netizens have also tagged the official Weibo account, demanding the revocation of Xia Qingtian's honor as a Top Ten Youth, calling for a thorough investigation of artists with questionable conduct, and there have been many false reports."
"We have also received calls from relevant departments asking for inquiries. This matter broke out quite suddenly."
"The director team of 'First Step of Heartbeat' has also inquired. They are very concerned about the subsequent filming." After all, the filming had been halted before, and now that it was about to resume after a few days, if further problems arose, the other party wouldn't be able to bear it.
"The online discourse is being suppressed, but the effect is not very good. It's more important to refute the rumors as soon as possible."
After listening to everyone's reports, Mr. Gu nodded and said, "I understand. Wen Ning, do not accept any new work for Xia Qingtian for the time being. If she calls you about wanting to quit the circle, you don't need to pay attention to it for now either."
"Quit, quit the circle?"