Zhang Yun cut straight to the point, and Gu Hongxun fell silent for a moment.

He sensed that someone was following him and filming him, so when he was beaten, he refused to go to the hospital.

Later, because Xi Ruo was injured, he had to rush her to the hospital for treatment, which was then captured on camera by paparazzi.

Seeing that Gu Hongxun remained silent, Zhang Yun sighed.

“You are still young, and I can understand that you might act impulsively, but you still need to come up with a reasonable explanation for this matter and give the public and your fans an account.”

Gu Hongxun clenched his fists, feeling as if he were bound by a dark force, and everything he did felt like he was doing something wrong.

"At worst, we'll just make it public!"

"Go public? Ha! You're only eighteen. If you go public with your puppy love, who among your fans will still like you?"

"I never thought about relying on fans. In this industry, traffic can only be popular for a short time. Those who can stay popular have all successfully transformed their image before gradually breaking out of their niche."

Zhang Yun was amused by Gu Hongxun's "bold words".

“My young master, even if you have a burning passion, you don’t have the corresponding strength to match your ambition. No matter how much you talk, it’s just empty talk. Right now, you have no strength, so you can only rely on your age and looks to stand out. If you want to give up even these two things, then I can tell you bluntly: if you want to leave this industry forever, you can choose to go public with your relationship now.”

Gu Hongxun fell silent.

He's not stupid; it's obvious that with his current abilities, going public with his relationship would be tantamount to announcing his retirement from the entertainment industry.

Most of what I just said was just said in anger.

Seeing that Gu Hongxun's arrogance had subsided, Zhang Yun continued, "If you don't want to leave this industry, I will draft a notice template later. You can publicly sever ties with it on Weibo, and the studio will immediately follow up with a clarification. If possible, call Bai Xiruo now and work together to refute the rumors; that would be even more effective."

The mention of seeking help from Bai Xiruo to sever ties deepened Gu Hongxun's sense of guilt towards her.

Zhang Yun handed Gu Hongxun's phone over: "What is meant to be will be. This matter arose because of you, so we must face it together."

Just as Gu Hongxun was about to reach for the phone, it suddenly vibrated.

"It was Xi Ruo who called."

"Then let's accept it!"

Gu Hongxun reached out and took the phone, then walked aside to answer it.

"Hey, Xi Ruo."

"Hongxun, where are you?"

"I came to the company to take care of some things, so I might not be able to see you until later."

"Don't come. There are already a lot of paparazzi surrounding the hospital entrance. I saw the news. I really didn't expect what happened last night to be reported. Don't worry, I will clarify this rumor as soon as possible."

Gu Hongxun felt a sharp pang in his heart, filled with remorse: "Xi Ruo, I'm sorry."

"Don't say that. I'll do anything as long as it helps you."

The two chatted briefly for a while, about half an hour later.

A post titled #Bai Xiruo personally clarifies her relationship with Gu Hongxun: just friends?#

The news originated from Bai Xiruo's Weibo account and was subsequently reprinted by multiple media outlets.

One media outlet even contacted Bai Xiruo herself and conducted a direct interview with her in her hospital room.

“Xi Ruo, you were injured and hospitalized last night, and Gu Hongxun personally took you there. It seems that the two of you have a very good relationship.”

"Hongxun and I met at an event, and we are quite good friends."

"Just friends?"

Bai Xiruo smiled gently: "We're really just friends. I was really shocked when I saw the news circulating online today. How can some media outlets write such nonsense? Yesterday, Hongxun and I just happened to run into each other at the 24G bar. It wasn't a date as the media claimed."

Undeterred, the reporter continued, "Does Gu Hongxun only see you as a friend?"

"We're just very good friends, so please stop making wild guesses."

Seeing Bai Xiruo's interview, Gu Hongxun secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I told you Xi Ruo isn't the kind of person you think she is. I didn't need to step in; she's already explained things clearly to the media."

Zhang Yun stared at the gentle and delicate face on the screen: "I hope I'm just imagining things."