Public Relations Plan

Why not release it the day after he went to the club, but wait until now? Was it to deliberately make him think the storm was over, to lower his guard and think he was returning to normal life, and then deliver a fatal blow? Or was it because he was just nominated for the Best Actor award at the Hundred Flowers Awards, and they wanted to use this to make him miss this opportunity and ruin his future?

Lu Chenyang's brain was too exhausted to delve into these calculations. He subconsciously walked towards the bedroom, wanting to find his phone.

Ah Jiang quickly stopped him and carefully advised, "Brother, let's not look at those upsetting news online. Just leave it to Sister Zhou to handle. She has all the public relations solutions ready."

Lu Chenyang gently pushed aside A Jiang's arm that was blocking his way. He didn't care about the noise and chaos online; Yu Sheng wasn't in the country and couldn't access the internet, so she wouldn't see that filth.

He just wanted to confirm whether his memory was confused. He wanted to see if that late-night phone call was real, or just a vivid dream woven by his consciousness.

However, things didn't go as planned; the phone screen was shattered into a spiderweb pattern and could no longer be turned on.

Ah Jiang walked over quietly and took the phone from Lu Chenyang's hands, who was lost in thought. "Brother, I'll take the phone to get it repaired later."

Lu Chenyang gave a muffled "hmm" in response.

"Brother, Sister Zhou asked me to go over the public relations plan with you. If you think it's okay, then proceed as planned. There are some parts where your cooperation is needed." Ajiang sat on the sofa by the bed, bending over, trying to see Lu Chenyang's expression from below, but he couldn't catch anything.

His overly long bangs obscured his eyebrows and eyes, isolating him from all emotion. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, Ajiang would almost have thought that the person in front of him was just a stone sculpture.

He cleared his throat, took out his phone, looked at the document sent by Sister Zhou, and briefly summarized, "Sister Zhou said that the lawyer's letter is mainly effective in deterring uninformed netizens, but for marketing accounts and trolls who spread rumors, the police still need to issue a case filing notice. Before Brother Yu Sheng left, he contacted an officer named Qin Nan, and everything has been arranged here. As for Yang Tieshuan, the police have already intervened."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chenyang dug his fingers into the mattress.

Qin Nan? He hadn't expected Yu Sheng to have paved this path for him. She had gone to such lengths to keep it from him, carefully placing him in a gentle shell of peace and complete ignorance.

Ajiang was still scrolling through his phone, unaware of Lu Chenyang's change in demeanor. "Later, we'll release other trending news to divert attention. Yu Sheng bought out a leak about top actress Hu Tao's secret marriage and child; the man is the director of the film that won her the award. The two originally planned to go public, but Yu Sheng intercepted and bought the leak right away, just to release it at this time to attract attention. At the same time, we'll boost your popularity for being nominated for Best Actor at the Hundred Flowers Awards for 'Shattered Light,' using a two-pronged approach to guide public opinion."

"And then..." Ajiang paused, glancing up cautiously at Lu Chenyang's reaction, only to find the other staring at him intently. He looked down at the follow-up to the plan sent by Sister Zhou, finding it difficult to speak.

“Speak,” Lu Chenyang said, his voice dry and brief.

Ajiang took a deep breath, as if to encourage himself, and spoke much faster, "If shifting the focus still doesn't work, there's a backup plan. Sister Zhou said that the most effective way to do public relations is to create an even bigger sensation. Before Brother Yu Sheng left, he gave Sister Zhou a copy of his... information. He said that if public opinion gets out of control, he should be used as a new hot topic to attract attention... However, Sister Zhou didn't tell us exactly what that document was; it seemed very mysterious and important."

Yu Sheng had even schemed against himself, using him as his last bargaining chip. A Jiang didn't know what the so-called "breaking news" was, but Lu Chenyang knew it all too well.

That must be Yu Sheng's deep, bloody past that has been buried for so long, about his inhuman childhood of abuse, and his father with whom he has no blood relation.

The chairman of Dongyao International Bank had his son confined to a mental hospital for several years; the biological father was not the biological father; the true parentage of the second son of the Yu family was revealed. This was indeed a bombshell that could shake the entire scene.

Those secrets that he used to have to hold in his arms and patiently comfort him before he could tell them, intermittently with tears in his eyes, are now being so easily and casually laid bare in front of everyone, used as a source of hype, as a topic of public discussion, and as a shield for people to criticize and throw stones at.

Lu Chenyang's lips unconsciously curled into a smile. He finally knew with absolute certainty his importance in Yu Sheng's heart. But as he smiled, hot tears welled up unexpectedly and fell in large drops.

His trachea was blocked by moisture, and the sticky feeling forced him to open his mouth to breathe. The oxygen he inhaled was like a knife, slowly cutting into his flesh and carving that person's name into it.

But the name itself was so gentle, even etched upon his scarred flesh, it radiated a warm, burning light. That light enveloped him, leaving him nowhere to hide, even his shadow began to crumble. Everything seemed to mock his absurdity and unforgivable mistake that night.

"After that video was released today, many artist friends spoke out in support of us. Teacher He Wei, Director Lan, Wu Tongtong, Director Wu, and the singer we just signed all posted on Weibo. Oh, by the way, the first one to post was Brother Yu Sheng."

Lu Chenyang suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Ajiang.

Ajiang was startled by his appearance and stammered, "Sister Zhou said that Brother Yu Sheng had edited it in advance and saved it in the Weibo drafts. Brother Yu Sheng had mentioned it to Sister Zhou before, and Sister Zhou thought that he couldn't access the internet, so she asked the company for the account and password and posted it for him."

"Cellphone." Lu Chenyang held out his hand to Ajiang.

Ajiang said "Oh" and quickly brought up Yu Sheng's Weibo page and handed it over.

[@Libertas/笙: Let me see, let me see, who's bullying our cute, gentle, and helpless Officer Lu?]

The accompanying photo is a funny selfie of Yu Sheng. The camera is shooting from below, showing only half of his face. His big, round eyes fill the frame, his eyebrows are raised high, almost flying out of the frame and staring straight at the camera, his expression is funny and cute, with his usual bright energy.

Through the screen, Lu Chenyang gently traced the smiling eyes with his fingertips again and again. But he could no longer smile. The phone screen was quickly blurred by the constantly dripping water droplets, and the photo became indistinct. He raised his hand to wipe it away, but new watermarks quickly covered it, endlessly.

“…Brother.” Ajiang called out to him cautiously.

"Please fix my phone as soon as possible." Lu Chenyang's voice was terribly hoarse. "I'm sleepy, I want to sleep a little longer."

After he finished speaking, he crawled into bed, covered his head tightly with the blanket, and sealed himself in a dark and cramped safe space.

Hearing the door close softly, Lu Chenyang slowly pulled the blanket down a crack to let in some air so as not to suffocate him.

Scalding liquid welled up from my left eye socket, crossed the bridge of my nose, and gradually cooled as it flowed into my right eye. The sensation of alternating hot and cold was peculiar, but the accumulated droplets quickly filled my eye socket, unable to hold them all, and eventually rolled out, splashing onto the pillow and leaving a salty, damp stain.

He cried so much that he felt a sense of disgust. He reached for a box of pills on the bedside table, confirmed they were sleeping pills, took one out and put it in his mouth. No need for water, he clenched his teeth, chewed the pill hard, and then swallowed it.

It's not bitter; most psychiatric medications are sweet, which is quite strange.

When I woke up again, it was completely dark outside the window, and the room was dark. I could vaguely hear the roar of the range hood and the sound of the stove being lit coming from the kitchen.

"Ah Jiang?" Lu Chenyang propped himself up and sat up, his voice still hoarse.

He seemed to have slept a little more soundly, and his spirits had recovered considerably; at least he didn't look as haggard as before. He got out of bed and followed the light and sound towards the kitchen.

"Brother?" Ajiang turned around at the sound of his voice. Seeing that his complexion seemed to have improved, he felt relieved and put on a big smile. "Brother, the food will be ready in a little while. It's all home-style cooking. You should try my cooking."

"good."

At the dinner table, Lu Chenyang ate a few more bites than usual, which was unusual for him. He couldn't explain why, but his appetite had been severely diminished lately. Eating even a little more would cause him to feel nauseous, dizzy, and his vision would go black. He was barely managing to maintain the most basic functions of his body by taking those pills.

"Ah Jiang." Lu Chenyang put down his chopsticks, his expression becoming slightly serious. "I've thought about it. Passive public relations clarification is only a temporary solution. I, Lu Chenyang, don't need vague speculation and discussion. Tell Sister Zhou that I will be doing a live broadcast tomorrow afternoon. Let's put an end to this farce."

Since some people want to use his past to their advantage, he should lay it out openly and eliminate any potential use from them.

He did nothing wrong and has nothing to fear from any scrutiny or accusations. He couldn't choose his birth; he was a victim too.

An hour before the broadcast, Lu Chenyang prepared all the materials he could find, including a medical certificate issued by Bai Hua five years ago confirming that he had suffered partial memory loss due to a major trauma.

He looked at his much thinner self in the camera lens, but his gaze seemed to penetrate the screen and look at someone else.

Star, Chen Wanxing.

When they were children, they shared some similarities in their features. Now, Lu Chenyang can only piece together, little by little, what Xingxing will look like at twenty-two, by looking at his own mature features.

She must be very beautiful, much more beautiful than him, because stars are always dazzling.

He still clearly remembers that day in the back gully, next to Lu Yaqing's little mound, he saw the bloodstains on Xingxing's pants, and cried out in fear, begging him not to die, not to be buried in the ground.

At that time, Xingxing hugged him and solemnly told him, 'Yangyang, remember, don't let any man in the village get close to you, not a single man. Don't let them touch you. If you see them, stay far away. If they call you, run away, understand?'