In the corridor leading to the visitation room.
Two guards and a prisoner appeared at the end of the hallway.
The prisoner's hands and feet were shackled with heavy irons. With every step he took, the iron shackles scraped against the concrete floor, emitting a harsh clanging sound.
As the prisoner approached the visitation room, his gaunt face appeared under the lights. It was Yu Min, arrested and awaiting sentencing.
He was no longer the charismatic socialite who could gather a hundred men with a single command.
Instead, he was a prisoner burdened with serious crimes.
His once straight back was now stooped, and most of his black hair had turned white. In just over a month, he seemed to have aged by a full twenty years, exuding a sense of twilight.
When he was only three meters away from the visitation room, Ge Qing suddenly appeared in the hallway.
He looked at Yu Min, whose eyes were vacant and spirits low, and calmly asked, "Before you go in, I have a question for you."
"Ask away, what do you want to know?"
Yu Min glanced at Ge Qing and smiled candidly.
The two guards, sensing the situation, discreetly turned away, maintaining a distance of about five feet from them.
With his back turned, Ge Qing quietly asked, "Tell me the truth, do you hate Gao Fei?"
Hearing this question, Yu Min was initially stunned. He chuckled, then shook his head, "Before I was brought in, I did hate him. I wanted to tear him limb from limb, to have him dismembered by five horses. Even as a ghost, I wanted to kill him. But after some time, I came to terms with it. The hatred for him is long gone."
"You've really come to terms with it?"
"Yes, I have! What good does hating him do? Will hating him get me acquitted? Neither!"
Yu Min replied, then gestured as if he wanted to smoke.
Ge Qing lit a cigarette for him and handed it over.
He leaned against the wall, took a deep puff, and exhaled, "After I came in, I thought, if I were Gao Fei, would I get involved with someone like me, someone who could be imprisoned at any moment? The answer is definitely no. Who would want to associate with someone who's bound to be caught sooner or later? Then I thought, if I were in Gao Fei's position, facing a threat to my life, what would I do? Either send the threatening person to prison, or kill him! So, I don't hate him. Whether he helped me or not, he wasn't wrong. My fate was already sealed."
Hearing Yu Min's words, Ge Qing chuckled in surprise, "I didn't expect you to have such enlightenment and to be able to see things from another's perspective after coming in!"
"There comes a day when people understand. Moreover, if Gao Fei hadn't gone through what he did, he wouldn't have crossed paths with me. Twenty years ago, if I had swallowed my pride and hadn't attacked that foreman, I might not be standing here. Even if life was harder, at least I wouldn't be living in fear and without freedom."
The time it took to smoke a cigarette passed quickly.
Ge Qing glanced at Yu Min, who appeared to have renounced the world, and said, "Do you know who you're going to meet shortly?"
"The warden told me, it's a reporter to interview me."
"Do you know what they'll interview you about?"
"What else? Besides asking about my past, they'll probably ask if I regret it."
Ge Qing didn't explain much. Instead, he patted Yu Min's shoulder, "Old Yu, the trouble and impact you've caused Gao Fei, it's time to give him some clarity!"
Yu Min froze, then instantly understood the implication of his words.
He didn't ask further, and Ge Qing didn't offer more explanation.
A moment later, the guards led Yu Min towards the visitation room again.
Clang!
The door opened, revealing various camera equipment. Sitting at the front was a female reporter with the rank of Major, possessing both looks and demeanor.
"Hello, I'm the reporter interviewing you, Tang Xue."
...
Meanwhile, at Kyoto University.
A red car stopped at the entrance of the male dormitory building. Standing beside the car was a woman in a short skirt and high heels, dressed vibrantly.
It was Jin Qiqi, who hadn't seen Gao Fei in almost a month.
"You've been hiding in school, not stepping out, while we've been swamped outside. My salary for June must be increased."
"Do you think I want to? I've been ordered by the higher-ups not to leave the school premises, under penalty of expulsion if I dare to step out."
Gao Fei sighed helplessly as he listened to Jin Qiqi's constant complaints.
"No, what kind of secret project is your school involved in that it's restricting you like this?"
"Mind your own business out there. You'll know soon enough!"
Gao Fei waved his hand and then asked, "Did you come to see me suddenly without any prior notice because of something urgent?"
"Do you remember the poems and essays you submitted to the Poetry Research Society?"
"I remember. Thirty-five poems and essays. Didn't Elder Tang say he was preparing to publish a collection for me?"
He suddenly slapped his forehead, "You mentioning it, I almost forgot. Where has my poetry collection gone? There's not a single book on the market."
"Do you think publishing a poetry collection is that easy?"
Jin Qiqi rolled her eyes at him and then explained, "Besides Elder Tang and the others agreeing, it requires review and cross-checking by the cultural bureaus of various provinces and cities, and then submission to the National Cultural Bureau of Longguo. After the cultural bureau's approval, there's the negotiation with publishers and so on..."
She continued after a general description, "Oh, and Elder Tang asked me to inform you of something. For the publication of the poetry collection, besides the poet's nickname, your real name must also be included. On the first page of the collection, there needs to be your self-introduction and a photograph."
"Holy hell, this is so complicated! I wish I hadn't participated if I knew this!"
The various procedures and requirements gave Gao Fei a headache. He hadn't expected publishing a poetry collection to involve so many departments for review and approval. And a self-introduction and photograph, too. He had intended for a low-key publication, but it seemed it would be anything but low-key now!
"Besides the poetry collection, is there anything else?" he asked, rubbing his temples.
"You wanted to create a prelude for your upcoming cosmetics launch, right? After my screening, I've found a suitable candidate."
"Who?"
"Your fan, the daughter of Qiao Run Group, Qiao Sisi!"
Gao Fei blinked in surprise, "What business does Qiao Run Group have, or which of its subsidiaries, is related to cosmetics? Are you playing a trick on me by asking Miss Qiao to help me create a prelude?"
"Do you think Miss Qiao is just a pampered vase? She has her own businesses."
Jin Qiqi leaned closer and whispered something in his ear.
Hearing about Qiao Sisi's business, Gao Fei's eyes lit up, and he smiled, "I didn't expect Miss Qiao to be in this industry. Alright, I'll send you a general plan tonight, and you can forward it to her."
Jin Qiqi slapped a light gold business card into his hand and said with a sideways glance, "She specifically asked to be contacted by you directly. Go fawn over her yourself!"
"Alright, I'm experienced in relying on my wife! As expected of a wealthy young lady, even her business card smells fragrant."
"You idiot, that's my hand cream's scent."
"Damn, what kind of foul smell is this!"
"Damn it, this hand cream is a product from your factory."
After exchanging a few playful insults, Jin Qiqi changed into flat shoes and got back into the car. Before leaving, she reminded him, "Oh, right, Hank just sent word. He'll arrive in Longguo on July 20th."
"That's perfect timing."
Gao Fei nodded, then leaned closer and said, "Sister Jin, could you help me with something on that day..."
As Jin Qiqi listened to his instructions, her eyes widened gradually.
...
Time flew by, and half of July had passed.
During this period, Gao Fei remained in school, sticking to the same routine: dormitory, cafeteria, research group. Any documents or contracts from his investment companies, cosmetics factories, or studios that required his approval were delivered to him at school by Jin Qiqi and Zhang Cheng.
As he had been out of sight for nearly two months, the previous rumors about his alleged ties to organized crime had gradually faded, replaced by other trending news. Only the tireless anti-fans continued to bash him in the diminishing heat of old news. However, due to the impact of the rumors, his studio account had lost nearly a million followers, dropping from just over forty million to thirty-seven million seven hundred fifty thousand. The decline in attention had only recently begun to slow down the rate of follower loss.
On July 10th, the civilian navigation system was successfully perfected. Gao Fei, as the chief engineer of the system, entered a phase of intense work. With the civilian navigation system about to be launched, he had to conduct tens of millions of tests. If any system vulnerabilities or issues were found, he had to resolve them immediately. In three days, he had barely slept for ten hours. It was only after the navigation system was submitted for review, which took two days, that he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
On July 16th, the authorities finalized the launch date for the civilian navigation system, with a press conference scheduled for the 18th. Just as the authorities were making preparations for the press conference, on the morning of the 17th, a storm erupted online once more. An account with millions of followers, whose IP address was located overseas, suddenly posted a lengthy message. The title read: "Young Longguo movie star Gao Fei, using time to erase rumors of ties to organized crime, and unknown methods to control online public opinion. I can't help but ask, is the Longguo official body inactive, or does Gao Fei have powerful backing?"
The exceptionally long title reignited the public discourse surrounding the fabricated rumors of Gao Fei's involvement with organized crime. The post began by alluding to the Kyoto Police Department's alleged intention to help Gao Fei clear his name. It then pointed out that Gao Fei had used unknown means to purge online discourse related to him, accompanied by screenshots of deleted posts. Finally, it reiterated that Gao Fei had complex connections and was the biggest force in the Kyoto underworld.
Upon its release, the post seemed to trigger a mechanism, attracting various paid commenters and anti-fans. Within just ten minutes, the post had become a trending topic on three major social platforms. The trending title was: "Are Gao Fei's ties to organized crime a fact or a rumor?" As more people shared and commented, the topic quickly entered the top ten trending lists within ten minutes. In the trending discussion section, comments from fans, anti-fans, and paid commenters flooded in.
[This overseas account with Longguo nationality is a pure lackey, daring to question the Longguo official body. Even the Kyoto Police Department has clarified, yet it still brings it up, clearly inciting online public opinion.]
[Gao Fei's fans, stop whitewashing. The truth about your master's ties to organized crime is already common knowledge in Kyoto. If you don't believe me, just ask any local resident in Kyoto. Who dares to compete with Gao Fei for any business or project he sets his sights on?]
[Just a passerby, I can attest to what the previous commenter said. There's a saying circulating in Kyoto now: In Kyoto, whatever Gao Fei wants, it will eventually belong to the Gao family.]