Chapter 323: Chapter 323: Dragging Everyone Down with Me
Qingyue, in a moment of frantic urgency, lost his ability to judge the situation. Instinctively, he assumed someone was trying to harm him, and that Duan Wenhu had been manipulated into treating him this way.
Qingyue hadn’t been able to get in touch with Duan Wenhu for days, but he still wanted to call her personally to explain himself.
Unexpectedly, this time he managed to get through with ease.
Qingyue softened his voice, speaking gently to appease Duan Wenhu, but she wasn’t having any of it. Her tone was cold and indifferent.
"Qingyue, please know your place. Publicly admit that our relationship was nothing more than a temporary arrangement. You were just my kept toy, and now that I’m tired of playing with you, it’s time to discard you. There’s no need for you to explain anything to me. Starting today, we’ll go our separate ways. Take care of yourself. I’ll give you ten thousand dollars as compensation for your youth. Considering you’re already a middle-aged male artist in the entertainment industry, that amount is reasonable for someone like you."
The words were full of disdain and contempt, treating Qingyue like nothing more than a commodity, devoid of any human sentiment.
Qingyue felt utterly suffocated. Just ten thousand dollars? Who was Duan Wenhu insulting?
"Sis, listen to me..."
Even though he was treated as an object, Qingyue suppressed the rage brewing inside him and spoke to Duan Wenhu with a forced smile.
This time, she didn’t even bother to respond, directly hanging up the phone.
When Qingyue tried calling back, all he heard was the endless busy tone on the receiver.
"Fuck!"
Qingyue threw his phone with force, smashing it against the wall on the other side. The screen cracked visibly, with two clear fractures running across it.
Ten thousand, ten thousand, ten thousand...
Qingyue muttered those words under his breath repeatedly, and as he did, he suddenly tilted his head back and laughed, his face distorted and fierce.
The blow had rattled Qingyue, and everything within reach of his hands didn’t escape his grasp as he smashed item after item onto the floor with all his strength.
The room was filled with the sound of objects shattering. Finally, when there was nothing left to destroy, Qingyue hunched slightly, hands resting on his knees, gasping for breath.
Since he couldn’t have peace, no one else would either.
Qingyue’s bloodshot eyes bore a manic intensity, his hair was a mess from being tugged at, and his twisted features radiated a dark, ominous expression.
He no longer cared about appearances or the state of his chaotic home. Picking up the shattered phone off the floor, he swiped a few times to open the camera.
He had nothing left to lose—all he wanted now was to drag others down with him.
Qingyue activated the camera and started a livestream.
The backdrop of this livestream was particularly chaotic, and Qingyue’s visibly unstable mental state startled the viewers in the room.
[Brother, what’s going on? You just had an incident and now you’re falling apart?]
[Is it because the truth has come to light, you know it’s hopeless, and now you’re unleashing impotent rage?]
[Actions have consequences. You knew when you committed vile deeds that karma would catch up to you eventually. Today’s outcome is nothing but a natural result of your own sins.]
"Heh—"
Qingyue let out a cold laugh, tinged with sarcasm and exhaustion.
"I’m not the only one doing vile deeds. Funny how no one else seems to suffer the consequences. Shen Yi climbed up through wealthy women too, yet nobody’s exposing him. What? Because he’s top-tier and people are too scared to cross him?" Qingyue sneered grimly.
Most of the viewers tuned in were fans of Shen Yi, and his words instantly hit a nerve.
[Qingyue, do you have no shame? Every single time something happens, you drag Shen Yi into it to take the fall. You can’t live without Daddy Shen anymore, huh?]
[Please, just go die already. Stop being a blight on society.]
[Watch your words. You’ve repeatedly used Shen Yi to garner attention. Be careful of receiving a lawyer’s warning—don’t mistake someone’s kindness for weakness. Do you seriously think Shen Yi won’t sue you?]
The livestream’s chat was dominated by aggressive remarks. Normally, Qingyue might have been stung by the hostility, but now, he simply didn’t care.
"Haha, Shen Yi’s smart enough, but his fans are each stupider than the next. Shen Yi and I came up as part of the same group. If I couldn’t control my fate, do you honestly think Shen Yi could? Without selling his body, could he have risen so fast?"
Qingyue grew more impassioned, his voice escalating to a frenzied shout with each sentence.
Shen Yi’s fans were losing their minds. Their idol had suddenly been smeared with such outrageous accusations, they couldn’t hold back their fury. Abandoning any pretense of civility, they viciously lashed out in the chat, wanting nothing more than for Qingyue to shut up immediately.
Seeing Shen Yi’s fans rage-filled comments, Qingyue felt an eerie gratification.
The more unhinged Shen Yi’s fans became, the more exhilarated Qingyue felt.
"Go ahead, scold me all you want—it doesn’t matter. Shen Yi really did climb his way up by selling his body. For all you know, someone might already have compromising photos of him on their phone—who knows, they might leak them any day now."
"Your beloved idol isn’t innocent at all. Sleeping with wealthy women aside, he’s constantly flirting with other female celebrities. Shen Yi’s hooked up with Sang Ning—don’t tell me none of you knew?"
Qingyue laughed maniacally as he spoke, sinking deeper into madness and making the truth of his words increasingly dubious.
[Just kill yourself already instead of spewing lies. Everyone knows Qingyue and Sang Ning are just close friends. Only someone as warped as you would think their relationship is improper. Based on your logic, are genuine friendships impossible in the entertainment world?]
"You don’t believe me, huh?" Qingyue grabbed the hem of his shirt and abruptly stripped off his top. "Look at this—here’s the proof."
Several faint bruises and scars adorned Qingyue’s chest, faded but still visible enough to hint at the severity of his prior injuries.
"It doesn’t matter anymore—I’m not afraid to share the truth with you. The reason Sang Ning beat me up like this is because I crossed Shen Yi. I have dirt on him, and Sang Ning lied to lure me to a factory outside the city. She destroyed the evidence and then beat me half to death. Sang Ning and Shen Yi have been entangled for ages. Neither of them are good people, and you fools are the only ones who still believe they’re pure and clean."
Qingyue fabricated allegations against Sang Ning and Shen Yi without a shred of proof, gesturing to the bruises on his body as if they were definitive evidence. "These marks, here, and here—they’re all thanks to Sang Ning. Just because I offended Shen Yi, she went out of her way to pummel me. Sang Ning and Shen Yi are as crooked as they come—he sleeps with rich women, and she mingles with underworld figures in the industry. You insult me as the villain, but Shen Yi and Sang Ning are no better!"
Qingyue’s increasingly deranged accusations targeted Sang Ning and Shen Yi, determined to stir up as much chaos as possible. He was convinced that Shen Yi’s fans would never tolerate rumors of their idol being romantically involved with anyone.
For male celebrities at the top of the industry, even the slightest hint of a romantic scandal could be deadly for their careers.
Sleeping with wealthy women, dating a disgraced female star—either rumor was enough to drag Shen Yi down from his position as a top-tier celebrity.