166: Prediction

The internet was in an uproar, but Shen Lian didn't take it to heart at all.

Even for a brain-dead fan, there should be an explanation for how they liked someone and to what extent.

At this moment, Shen Lian was sitting in Chu Yilan's office, draped in the man's suit jacket, drinking ginger tea.

He had been picked up and brought over as soon as the incident occurred.

His cold hadn't fully passed yet, and once Shen Lian's mind relaxed, he felt a bit listless.

Chu Yilan was in a bad mood, and his tone was equally poor: "As expected, I shouldn't have let you go to a crowded place."

Shen Lian was fearless and gave a soft huff.

On the other side, Kuang Chenghai squatted at the entrance of the conference room, his fingers flying across his phone screen.

Damn it, trying to sabotage us?

Meanwhile, the claims online that Shen Lian was self-directing and acting out this drama grew louder. Upon closer inspection, one could see that these people's scripts were almost identical, indicating a significant number of paid trolls.

"You think you're the only ones with paid trolls?!" Kuang Chenghai cursed under his breath.

Besides Shen Lian's fans, Star Opening's paid trolls also joined the fray. The intensity in the comment section was fierce. If you tried to be reasonable, they would provide evidence to refute you point-by-point; if you were unreasonable, they would play along to the end.

Actually, none of this mattered. By evening, the situation took a turn.

Shen Lian's studio posted a statement, claiming that the man caught at the entrance of the fan meeting was not a fan of Shen Lian, as he couldn't even accurately state basic information about Shen Lian.

This was followed by an official report stating that the individual had a mental illness. In the subsequent investigation, it was discovered that he was a fan of a certain artist from Xiguang Media, but whether there was a connection between the two required further investigation.

An artist from Xiguang Media?

The strength of netizens lay in the fact that many of them could dig up deeper secrets from just a few words of information.

Soon, a heavily processed photo appeared on the public feed.

It seemed to be from a certain fan meeting. Outside the crowd, the man who had previously blocked Shen Lian could be clearly seen. He was looking toward the center of the stage with a fanatical gaze; to be precise, that was what a true fan looked like, whereas his attitude toward Shen Lian seemed more like a form of revenge.

Digging further, it became clear: that was Shi Zhujie's first fan meeting after gaining popularity shortly after his debut.

Furthermore, according to insiders, this person was also a friend of Shi Zhujie.

"What does this have to do with me? I never told Lin Zaihao to make things difficult for Shen Lian!" Shi Zhujie was practically fuming, frantically explaining to Song Yuan.

Although he was arrogant, he hadn't failed to notice the change in Song Yuan's attitude recently. He didn't dare to be presumptuous, especially since Song Yuan had warned him. It was even more impossible for him to cause trouble at such a critical juncture.

"It's fine." Song Yuan's face was grim. "My people have gone to see Lin Zaihao. There should be a result soon."

Even though Shi Zhujie hadn't participated, for some reason, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

Song Yuan sat there like an ice sculpture. The gaze he directed at him was no longer as gentle and doting as before. It was only then that Shi Zhujie realized he was terrified. He feared that if he couldn't distance himself from this matter, he would face Song Yuan's wrath. If Song Yuan truly loved him, it shouldn't be like this.

"Control the online comments first," Song Yuan said. "Then find out where those paid trolls attacking Shen Lian came from."

If it had nothing to do with Shi Zhujie, then there was definitely a third party involved.

Chu Yilan learned the news faster than Song Yuan.

Lin Zaihao, a fanatical fan of Shi Zhujie, came from a family with some money. He would try every possible way to squeeze into any event where Shi Zhujie was present. During a recent gathering, Lin Zaihao heard from others that Shi Zhujie had been marginalized and oppressed by Shen Lian on set, which had driven him to tears. Thus, this incident occurred.

As for how those others knew, that would have to be asked of Shi Zhujie himself.

He had a big mouth and loved to complain. Once it spread through the circle, it was like a gust of wind, only becoming more exaggerated.

Shi Zhujie was dumbfounded; he hadn't expected it to trigger such a situation.

Meanwhile, Shi Zhujie's fans online couldn't sit still. Fortunately, they were relatively rational and didn't clash with Shen Lian's fans; they only urged the studio to speak up.

[Why else? Word is Shen Lian was bullying people on set.]

Director Zhao, who had been silently watching the drama, jumped three feet high. Bullying? Who was bullying whom?!

The destined splendor crew and Shi Zhujie's studio issued statements almost simultaneously, aligning their stories: they had enjoyed working with Shen Lian, and there was no such thing as bullying.

Director Zhao's statement was heartfelt, while Shi Zhujie had to swallow the bitter fruit with tears in his eyes.

As for Lin Zaihao, since he had a mental illness anyway, they would just say he had an episode and imagined it. The incident was started by him, so naturally, he would take the fall.

Song Yuan didn't intervene much. As long as the Luminous artists didn't actively provoke trouble, it wouldn't have much to do with the company.

Song Yuan sat on the sofa dazed for a moment, then suddenly asked his assistant for a phone.

Shi Zhujie's eyes flickered, as if he had guessed something, but Song Yuan ignored his gaze.

Chen Mu had also been following the situation. When Luminous and Shi Zhujie were exposed, he couldn't control his anger and couldn't help but think in a certain direction. After all, Song Yuan had done such things before—back then, whoever was good to him, he would make things difficult for them.

When Song Yuan's message arrived, Chen Mu's expression was cold.

[If you don't want Shen Lian to face this kind of situation again, then meet with me.]

For the first time, a smile of extreme mockery appeared on Chen Mu's face.

If it hadn't been for Shen Lian's call five minutes ago, Chen Mu might have truly acted out of concern and confusion.

On the phone, Shen Lian had yawned, looking like he might fall asleep the next second. "I've looked into it. Shi Zhujie really didn't know about this. After all, a fanatical fan with a mental illness—that's a full stack of buffs. Handle this however it needs to be handled. But it suddenly occurred to me, given Song Yuan's nature, he might use this as an excuse to trick you. Keep your wits about you and don't believe everything he says."

And Song Yuan's actions were like a confirmation of Shen Lian's prediction.

Chen Mu didn't reply with a single word. He continued to block the number and then sent a message to Shen Lian: [Song Yuan can't trick me. Rest easy, Teacher Shen.]

At that time, Shen Lian was on the large bed in the partitioned area of Chu Yilan's office. He wrapped himself tightly in a small blanket and laughed heartily upon seeing the message.

Ha, a prediction!

Shen Lian was extremely sleepy. Now that the situation was mostly clear, he didn't bother to dwell on it. Surrounded by Chu Yilan's scent, he fell asleep without a care.

"Boss, those paid trolls were all bought. We've traced the source, but the other party said they were just doing it for the money. It's unclear who the specific buyer is," Sun Binghe said softly.

Understanding something from his tone, Chu Yilan looked up: "What do you think?"

How keen was Sun Binghe.

"Boss, someone is secretly observing Teacher Shen's movements. Lin Zaihao acted on a whim, but this person knew how to manipulate things right after." Sun Binghe frowned. "It's my oversight; it seems quite a few people have infiltrated us."

Chu Yilan didn't respond.

When Chu Changqi took over his grandfather's industry back then, he also did so quietly. This person's specialty was observing, infiltrating, and then issuing warnings as if playing a game.

"The evidence is all here, right?" Chu Yilan said. "Throw Ming Lin in first."

As for that villa halfway up the mountain, it had already been emptied.