Song Yan’s agent was still dreaming of collaborations with top stars, but in the blink of an eye, she was summoned to the executive office and berated.
“How do you manage your artists? Were you aware of the things she’s been doing behind the scenes?”
The agent was utterly stunned. “What happened?”
“Song Yan’s assistant has been summoned by the police, don’t tell me you didn’t know!” the company director pointed at her nose and asked.
The agent was bewildered for a moment, then said, “What does this have to do with Song Yan?”
“Nothing to do with her?” The director let out a cold laugh. “Out of the blue, why would her assistant get involved with Su Lin’s affairs? Was she bored?”
“Song Yan has no enmity with Su Lin…” the agent tried to argue, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by the director. “If she had only offended Su Lin, it would have been a matter of apologizing! But she’s provoked Lu Yanbei!”
“What does Young Master Yan have to do with this…” The agent grew more confused by the minute.
“Song Yan’s assistant was on a secret account, and she was badmouthing the Young Master’s wife!” The director was so angry he felt like his heart was going to stop.
The agent’s eyes widened in shock.
How was this possible?
How could Song Yan do such a thing!
“Don’t say I’m wrongly accusing her! The assistant has already been questioned. If she confesses anything, Song Yan might as well forget about working in this industry ever again.”
“You’d better think of a way to distance her from this. Otherwise, she’ll be blacklisted!”
The agent snapped back to reality and repeatedly agreed. “I, I’ll go deal with it immediately.”
As she walked downstairs, she called Song Yan.
Unfortunately, no one answered.
“What’s going on with this Song Yan!” The agent was so anxious her hair felt like it was turning white. She had worked so hard to make this artist popular, and her career was developing so well, with the potential to become a top-tier star. She didn’t want it to end like this.
Meanwhile, Song Yan sat on the sofa, trembling.
Ten minutes earlier, Lu Yanbei’s lawyer had found her and presented all the evidence. This included various scandals from before and after her debut, all laid out clearly before her.
She knew this was a warning.
She never imagined Lu Yanbei would track her down so quickly.
Just as she was about to retort, she heard the lawyer say, “Miss Song, it’s best if you don’t speak. Mr. Lu said that for every extra word you say, your charges will increase by one.”
“Choose between a public apology or retiring from the entertainment industry.”
Song Yan clenched her fists, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She had finally made a name for herself in the entertainment industry, how could she be willing to retire now? But apologizing to Su He would be like stabbing herself.
Because of Su He, she had endured so much!
She had been called a homewrecker, pointed at, and looked down upon by relatives and friends. She had endured this humiliation for a full three years. Over a thousand days and nights, she had suffered immensely.
Even though Lu Jingyang had given her many benefits, the emotional scars were irreparable.
Why should she apologize to Su He?
It was Su He who had interfered, Su He who insisted on marrying Lu Jingyang, leading to her being ostracized.
Su He should be the one to apologize!
Why should she bow her head to her?
Seeing her long silence, the lawyer couldn’t help but speak, “It seems Miss Song has made her decision.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
Song Yan knew what he meant and immediately panicked. “What do you want to do?”
“Miss Song is unwilling to apologize, so there’s only one other option,” the lawyer said with a fake smile. “Miss Song should just wait for tomorrow’s trending topics.”
“No, you can’t do this!” Song Yan quickly blocked his path.
“This is Mr. Lu’s order. Miss Song should have considered the consequences before doing those things,” the lawyer refused to back down an inch. “No one can offend Mr. Lu and walk away unscathed.”
Song Yan’s repeated provocations had made her believe that Lu Yanbei wouldn’t care about such trivial matters. Moreover, given her relationship with Lu Jingyang, Lu Yanbei shouldn’t be so petty.
But she had underestimated how much Lu Yanbei cared about Su He.
What was Lu Jingyang? Even if Lu Yanbei showed Lu Jingyang some respect, they had already broken up, hadn’t they?
Song Yan was completely in a panic.
The lawyer didn’t say anything further and turned to leave.
When Song Yan came to her senses, the lawyer was nowhere to be seen.
“What should I do…” Song Yan paced around the room, her face etched with anxiety.
Before, with Lu Jingyang’s protection, she had enjoyed a smooth ride in the entertainment industry and had not suffered much. Many people, out of respect for the Lu family, had given her ample opportunities.
Now that she had completely cut ties with Lu Jingyang, it was hard to say if others would still give her face.
Song Yan couldn’t help but regret her decision.
She should have broken up with Lu Jingyang later!
With him around, at least he could have helped shield her from Lu Yanbei’s wrath.
Alas, there were no ifs.
After much thought, Song Yan decided to seek help from Lu Jingyang.
He loved her so much; he should help her, right!
*
“The phone’s ringing, why aren’t you answering?” Lu Yanbei swirled the wine glass, his face ashen as he looked at Lu Jingyang across from him.
Lu Jingyang sat on the sofa, like a child who had done wrong, not daring to breathe.
Especially when he saw the caller ID, he dared not act rashly.
He had known about the incident where Su Lin and Su He were photographed early on. At the time, he had privately grumbled, thinking Su He was a bad woman who couldn’t stay put and was unworthy of his brother.
Later, Su Lin came out to clarify and posted a group photo of the four siblings, only then did he realize he had misunderstood Su He.
These past few days since his breakup, he had been spending his time indulging in debauchery with a group of friends, getting drunk every day. While out drinking today, he was caught by Lu Yanbei and brought back.
“Moping about a woman, like your life depends on it. Is this all the backbone you have?”
“Now that you’ve seen her true colors, it’s time to wake up.”
After Lu Yanbei’s scolding, Lu Jingyang’s drunkenness immediately cleared.
“She was my first love…” Lu Jingyang said softly. “It’s not like I can just forget her!”
“Can’t forget, can you? How about I help you?” Lu Yanbei said with a grim face. “Let’s settle a score. Over the years, the total amount you’ve spent on her is five million seven hundred thousand, and that’s not including the benefits you gained for her by using my connections.”
“And how much do you think she’s given you in return? Does it even add up to a hundred thousand?”
“To put it nicely, you were boyfriend and girlfriend. In reality, it was a relationship of being kept and keeping.”
“I’m not…” Lu Jingyang felt he was speaking too harshly and tried to refute.
“Don’t be so quick to deny it. Love is mutual. How much do you think she loves you, and what has she sacrificed for you? You always feel like she suffered a lot with you, but in reality, Su He was the one hurt the most.”
“Not only did you spend money on Song Yan, but you also gave her your companionship. And for Su He? You neither fulfilled your duties as a husband nor offered her any material compensation.”
“When we divorced, I gave her five million,” Lu Jingyang said resentfully.
“Was that money yours?” Lu Yanbei reminded him kindly.
After hearing this, Lu Jingyang’s face turned red.
It was borrowed!
“You wronged Su He, you owe her!” Lu Yanbei concluded. “Do you want me to settle this score with you, or with Song Yan? Think carefully.”
Lu Jingyang opened his mouth, then fell silent.