Chapter 483: Villains Accuse First: How to Respond

As an old hand who has followed Wei Jin for over eight years, Zhang Xu has always had a great sense of propriety; generally speaking, he would absolutely never disturb his boss early in the morning.

But today, Wei Jin was woken up by Zhang Xu's phone call, a first in his life.

"President Wei, something has happened."

Listening to Zhang Xu's explanation over the phone, Wei Jin's brows were tightly furrowed, a hint of anger hidden within.

Ni Ni, who had been ravaged by him for half the night, seemed to be startled awake by this aura; ignoring her exposed, delicate body, she leaned slightly on Wei Jin's back and asked softly, "Boss, what's wrong?"

"Hmph, what a pure and flawless white lotus."

Wei Jin sneered and picked up his phone to check the news.

As expected, the major portals and entertainment headlines were all filled with the "little essay" posted by Dong Bailian's Studio.

While announcing the divorce, she also bitterly accused Pan Yueming of smoking, alcoholism, gambling, domestic violence, and infidelity—a series of heavy labels were suddenly slapped onto him, and the insults of countless netizens followed, as if they wanted to trample Pan Yueming to death.

"Boss, I don't think Teacher Pan is that kind of person, right?"

Browsing the news online, Ni Ni found it hard to accept; when those two got married, they were considered the golden boy and girl of the entertainment industry.

"Do you know Pan Yueming?"

Wei Jin asked while putting on his clothes.

"Not very well, but I met him at the company during the auditions for *The Suspect*, and he felt like a very well-bred person."

Reaching out to pinch Ni Ni's still-flushed, pretty face, Wei Jin nodded, "Your intuition is accurate, so I'm going to teach this Dong Bailian a lesson."

As the saying goes, he who strikes first gains the advantage, while he who strikes later is controlled by others.

Dong Bailian still has some skill; by posting her little essay late at night, she had already formed a wave of public opinion in a very short time, and a large number of netizens blindly followed the trend, having been incited.

From the moment Dong Bailian made her move to Pan Yueming being convicted, it only took a single night.

When Wei Jin arrived at the company, he found many employees discussing it.

Ignoring the employees' gossiping hearts, Wei Jin went to his office and saw that Zhang Xu was already waiting.

"Old Zhang, didn't Pan Yueming come back a few days ago? Why hasn't he signed the contract yet?"

Wei Jin's words carried a sense of questioning; if he had signed, would Dong Bailian have dared to do this? Was she mocking his sword for being dull?

"President Wei, he contacted me and said he had some family matters to deal with, and then it just..."

Before Wei Jin could speak, the sound of hurried high heels came from the doorway, and it was Chen Xi who pushed the door open and entered.

"Boss, Director Zhang, things aren't like that."

It was clear that Chen Xi had rushed over, her expression still looking quite ugly, but she quickly explained:

"Boss, it's that bitch; she was cheating outside herself, and when she got caught, she backhanded the dirty water onto Old Pan. I've known Old Pan for many years, he really isn't that kind of person. Boss, you have to believe me..."

"Chen Xi, don't be anxious, of course I believe you."

Wei Jin gently patted Chen Xi's shoulder to soothe her into sitting down; he was, of course, clear on the truth of this matter.

"The problem now is, where is Pan Yueming?"

"Boss, last night Uncle Pan saw the little essay online and was so angry he went to the hospital; Old Pan has been guarding him at the hospital the whole time."

Speaking of this, the anger on Chen Xi's face was hard to hide, "You don't know, the doctor said the situation is critical, and Old Pan wanted to take the child to see his grandfather, but that bitch actually said she had no obligation to do so."

Wei Jin nodded; that was indeed something that woman would do.

"What about his management team? Are they just letting it ferment like this?" Zhang Xu interjected.

"After he terminated his contract with his original agency, his cousin has been the one managing things."

"..."

Wei Jin and Zhang Xu were silent at the same time; using family members as agents in the entertainment industry was indeed unreliable.

"Boss, can you help Old Pan, please?"

Looking at Chen Xi's anxious appearance, although Wei Jin already had his answer, he did not respond, but instead looked at Zhang Xu.

"What do you think? Should we still sign him?"

Since the boss could appear here in person, how could Zhang Xu not understand his thoughts? He immediately stated his position with a firm tone.

"President Wei, based on the background check I did and Chen Xi's explanation, I believe Pan Yueming. This contract must be signed. If this matter isn't handled well, *The Suspect* will be greatly affected, and even the future *Ghost Blows Out the Light* series..."

"Hmm, you've considered it very comprehensively. I'll leave this matter to you to handle; I only have two requirements."

Wei Jin tapped his fingers on the wooden armrest of the sofa, his eyes cold.

"One, within two days, handle the matter completely; two, the person behind the scenes causing trouble must be severely punished. Can you do it?"

As Zhang Xu said, although Pan Yueming hadn't signed yet, he already had a collaboration with Shanhe Media, especially with *The Suspect*, where his scenes had already wrapped—how could they change him? And how many years had Chen Xi followed Wei Jin? She had always been diligent and uncomplaining, and since she had rarely asked for help, how could he not help? Besides, knowing that *The Suspect* was still filming, they dared to target Pan Yueming at this time; if Shanhe Media didn't step up, wouldn't everyone in the circle be able to stir up trouble with the company's projects in the future?

This trend must absolutely not be allowed to grow! Zhang Xu clearly understood this principle and immediately stood up, patting his chest to guarantee it.

"Don't worry, President Wei, I already have a plan. Just wait for the results."

The entertainment industry is a Vanity Fair, and marital tearing-apart like that between Dong and Pan is not uncommon.

Back then, Yao Dazui's divorce also caused a huge uproar, and she splashed a lot of dirty water on Ling Xiaoshu.

So much so that a descendant of an acting family from the Northwest Circle, a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy with impeccable credentials, just sank like that.

Usually, in these kinds of things, the woman takes the initiative, posting a little essay to seize the moral high ground.

As long as she is pitiful enough, countless netizens will follow along to hammer the other person to death.

The previous cases of Ling Xiaoshu and Yin Xiaotian were no different, and the current Pan Yueming is the same.

Gambling addiction, huge gambling debts, domestic violence, infidelity... these items, one by one, directly shattered the good image Pan Yueming had maintained for so long, followed by overwhelming insults and slander online.

A male artist who acted diligently, did not evade taxes, and had very few negative reports since his debut, just like that became an object of universal scorn.

Even many stars, artists, and directors in the entertainment industry stood up to voice their support for the woman's divorce and denounce the man's vile behavior.

Chen Kun: "She is like my younger sister; now that she has been hurt, I will support her and protect her without hesitation..."

Wang Dazhi: "Marriage, divorce—one is Amour, one is heartbreak! Teacher Dong, as friends, we will all support you. The people of Shaanxi support you."

Looking at the news online, Pan Yueming, who was in the hospital, felt his heart being twisted by a knife; he didn't understand why the lover who was once so deeply affectionate could become so vicious.

Not only did she cheat during the marriage, but she also turned around and blamed him; his father was even angered into the ICU, and the child was snatched away—who could understand the bitterness in his heart?

"Ring-a-ling~~~~"

The phone rang, and looking at the caller ID, Pan Yueming felt a warmth in his heart; this was one of the few good friends he had, a good friend willing to always believe in him.

"Hello, Chen Xi?" "Yueming, how is your uncle?"

Pan Yueming glanced toward the inside of the hospital room, his voice somewhat hoarse.

"The doctor says he hasn't left the danger zone yet."

"Yueming, don't worry, your uncle will definitely be fine. Wait for me a moment, I'll grab the contract and come over."

"Contract? What contract?"

"The management contract, of course. The boss believes in your character, the company will take action immediately, and this matter will pass very soon."

Pan Yueming took a deep breath and looked up, as if not wanting the things in his eyes to flow out.

After the car accident back then, besides Dong Jie taking care of him, Chen Xi was the one who came most often; later on, in order to help him make a comeback, he even pleaded with Director Wu Ershan to give him the opportunity to be the male lead in a film series.

Now, he was running around everywhere for his affairs again; this debt of gratitude, he would never be able to repay in this lifetime.

"Chen Xi, thank you, thank you."

"With the relationship between us, is there any need to say this? If you really want to thank someone, thank the boss; he seems to believe in you even more than I do."

Pan Yueming completely broke down; he did not know why that man, whom he had only met a few times, would believe in him.

Originally, he had thought that after this incident, the signing would have completely fallen through, but he hadn't expected... but this feeling was truly so warm, as if when one was trapped deep in a quagmire, a powerful hand suddenly reached out from the bank; it was also like being in the darkness, and suddenly a beam of light appeared to illuminate the path ahead.

"Thank you... thank you."

The so-called "honest official finds it hard to judge domestic affairs"—in truth, this kind of bickering between a husband and wife is really hard to wash clean.

Especially since Dong Bailian's "little essay" was accompanied by a photo of Pan Yueming in a casino, which made it even harder to wash clean.

But sorry, Shanhe Media is an "authority dog"—there is simply no need to reason with enemies.

First was Weibo; that very afternoon, they took down the trending searches related to Dong Bailian's little essay.

Following that, the headlines on multiple entertainment portals also disappeared, replaced by promotional features for New Year Slot films.

Immediately after, the official Weibo of Starry Sky Culture directly announced a piece of news.

"Welcome Mr. Pan Yueming to join our company; may we join hands to move forward and create brilliance together."

Just when the industry hadn't even reacted yet, a second Weibo post was released.

"Regarding the recent false reports targeting our company's artist, Mr. Pan Yueming, our side will take legal measures to resolutely safeguard the artist's reputation and interests."

Once the news broke, it was no less than a thunderclap on flat ground.

The entire circle knew that Shanhe Media was going to fully support Pan Yueming.

Consequently, an embarrassing scene appeared.

The celebrities who had previously posted on Weibo to support Dong Bailian all silently deleted their posts, acting as if nothing had happened.

After all, the "Stabbing Sect" face-slapping incident from before had come too quickly, and with Starry Sky Culture willing to endorse him, there was likely some inside information.

Of course, the greater possibility was that this group of "nine-year compulsory education fish" (the uneducated) in the entertainment circle didn't care about the truth at all; they simply couldn't afford to offend Wei Jin.

At the same time, a large number of celebrities and artists on good terms with Shanhe Media all followed suit by reposting, decisively expressing their stance.

In Liu Yifei's villa, while eating the online gossip, Shu Chang couldn't help but glance at her best friend.

"Xixi, what do you think about this matter?"

While flipping through an autobiographical novel by a cancer patient in her hand, Liu Yifei answered without even lifting her head: "What is there to think? Brother has already announced the signing, so I suppose Teacher Pan must be innocent..."

"Hmm, if Teacher Pan is proven innocent, then that means Dong Jie lied; she'll have it coming to her then, hehe, it can also be considered as venting your anger, haha."

"Changchang, if you don't know how to speak, then say less."

Liu Yifei rolled her eyes beautifully and didn't continue to pay attention to her best friend.

Back when she participated in *The Story of a Noble Family*, she was considered to have "brought capital into the crew," and she didn't even understand the basic blocking for acting; naturally, she wasn't as popular in the crew as the Mou Girl Dong Jie, who had prominent scenes, was pure and lovely, and had a sweet mouth.

But to say they had any grudges, Liu Yifei felt that was pure nonsense.

However, Shu Chang was right about one thing: with her brother's protective nature, Dong Jie was likely going to be in trouble next.

Wei Jin's protectiveness was not just known to Liu Yifei; the whole circle knew it.

At this moment, the instigators of the matter, Dong Bailian and her Assistant Niu Meihong, were starting to panic.

"Sister Niu, what do we do now?"

Dong Jie couldn't help but panic; she knew very well the power of Wei Jin. The previous Hong Kong artist who was blacklisted still hadn't made a comeback even now.

"How would I know what to do? Why didn't you tell me about his signing?"

Niu Meihong was also panicking; although she had been in the industry for over a decade and had quite a few connections in the circle, she was far from qualified to resist Wei Jin's fury.

Or to put it another way, in the entire Huaxia entertainment circle across the two shores and three regions, those who could not take Wei Jin seriously probably wouldn't even add up to the number of fingers on two hands.

"How was I supposed to know that he, having been a freelancer for so long, would suddenly sign a contract? And he even hugged a big thigh! Besides, the matter happened suddenly; didn't you say to strike first to gain the advantage?"

With this big pot being thrown at her, Niu Meihong immediately went silent.

She was the former Assistant of Wang Dazhi; the divorce between Dong and Pan involved the affair between Dong and Wang, so naturally, she had to strike first. But who the hell knew they would kick an iron plate? However, being an old hand who had been in the entertainment circle for many years, she soon had an idea.

"Xiaojie, don't panic. Are you sure there is no evidence of the affair between you and Dazhi?"

"There shouldn't be; otherwise, wouldn't the paparazzi have contacted me long ago?"

Niu Meihong nodded, "Good, listen to me. You immediately take the child out to go shopping at the supermarket, watch a movie, try to go to crowded places, and also, make yourself look a bit haggard..."

"Will this work?"

Dong Jie naturally understood the meaning: to shape the image of a fragile mother, learn from that senior from Hong Kong, and fight for some sympathy points. But was this enough? "Just doing this is, of course, not enough, but you can't get involved in the rest of the matters; just do your part well, understand?"

As a professional Agent, Niu Meihong knew very well that as long as there was no evidence for this incident, it was just a farce of a husband and wife getting a divorce.

As long as it was handled in a targeted manner, one wouldn't dare say they would come out unscathed, but it wouldn't be enough to cause serious injury.

Moreover, that photo of the casino was not without foundation; it wouldn't be that easy for the other party to prove their innocence.

In the end, it is nothing more than one side claiming they are right and the other side claiming they are right, merely hurting each other.

What's more, Dong Jie is not entirely without a background.

"Fine, I'll listen to you, Sister Niu."

(End of chapter)