Chapter 79 His Majesty will be spending the night alone in his empty chambers…
Fang Xingu felt embarrassed by his words: "You haven't even said you miss me, but I'm still willing to think about you, that's already very kind of me."
Jing Yitong was shocked by his sophistry: "If I didn't miss you, would I send you so many messages every day? And then wait and wait on my phone, but you never reply?"
Fang Xin froze for a moment, then quickly switched to their chat interface to make sure he had replied to every message from Jing Yitong. Only then did he stand up straight: "I'm just busy and can't reply to messages in time! It's not like you can reply instantly."
Jing Yitong put on a wronged look: "I look forward to His Majesty's favor every day."
Fang Xingu immediately took over the stage and began to play the young emperor: "Don't worry, I'll choose you tonight, won't I?"
Jing Yitong looked him up and down, then blinked and chuckled, "It's a pity that I'm far away in Suizhou and can't serve Your Majesty. Your Majesty will have to spend the night alone in your empty chamber."
Fang Xin Gu: ...
Wait a minute, I'm the emperor, right? Why do I feel like I'm being teased instead?
He took two deep breaths, observed Jing Yitong for a while, and only breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Jing Yitong's emotions and state had not been affected by the controversy surrounding "Water Devours Sand".
At this moment, Jing Yitong put his phone on speakerphone on the table, picked up the teapot to pour himself some tea, and from this angle, the phone's front camera could only capture his face from below.
This is an absolutely unflattering angle, but not on Jing Yitong. Instead, it makes his jawline look very defined, and his high nose bridge is quite handsome. If the angle were any higher, you might even be able to see his eyelashes.
Fang Xingu glanced at him a few more times before coming to his senses and saying, "Whether or not I serve you in bed can be discussed another day. I'm relieved to see that you're in good spirits right now."
Jing Yitong suppressed the urge to serve him in bed and asked in confusion, "Why am I not in good condition?"
"Jiang Zhou's matter, didn't he jump out again today? There's quite a lot of debate online right now. If it's not resolved soon, it will probably have a significant impact on 'Water Devours Sand'."
“Him,” Jing Yitong narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his voice, “Don’t worry, it will be completely resolved soon.”
Fang Xingu thought about it and realized that the "Water Devours Sand" production team was not to be underestimated, so he added fuel to the fire: "I contacted Jiang He. Although he had a little surprise, he can confirm that the interlude has absolutely nothing to do with Tan Zhi. I have asked him to gather evidence."
Jing Yitong knew that Fang Xingu was worried about him, and a gentle smile immediately appeared on his face: "Teacher Fang is still thinking of me."
Fang Xingu briefly recounted the possible relationship between Tan Zhi and this interlude. Jing Yitong listened attentively, but sensed something was amiss—in other words, Jiang He hadn't provided Fang Xingu with any evidence to prove that the song was indeed unrelated to Tan Zhi, yet Fang Xingu already believed it?
What is so special about Jiang He that makes Fang Xin trust him so much?
Jing Yitong's eyelids twitched, and he asked indirectly, "Why did you go to see Jiang He again?"
Fang Xingu didn't detect the hint of jealousy in his voice and continued to explain, "It was the celebration banquet I told you about last time. Jiang He was there too. I happened to see Jiang Zhou talking about the theme song for 'Water Devours Sand,' so I called him over to ask him about it."
Jing Yitong finally felt relieved: "So you went to see Jiang He actually for my sake?"
Fang Xingu: "Of course. If 'Water Devours Sand' wasn't your masterpiece, I wouldn't care whether Jiang He wrote this interlude himself or plagiarized it. I'm not that idle."
Jing Yitong then smiled. As the two were chatting, the door to Jing Yitong's private room suddenly opened, and a female voice came from behind: "Sorry I'm late."
Because the voice was a little far from Jing Yitong's phone, and because the audio was somewhat distorted when transmitted by the system, Fang Xin couldn't immediately tell who it was, only that it was a woman.
Now it was Fang Xin's turn to feel uncomfortable. At this time, Jing Yitong was actually having tea alone with a woman.
He was about to ask who the other person was, but he wasn't sure if it was appropriate for him to speak at that moment, so he could only purse his lips in frustration.
But before he could even process his frustration for a few seconds, Jing Yitong said, "It's okay, it's not too late. Do you mind if I keep the video on?"
The woman asked, "Video? Is it from your staff?"
Jing Yitong shook his head: "It's both new and old."
The woman's gaze fell on Jing Yitong's phone on the table, and sure enough, she saw a figure on the screen, but the figure was keeping its mouth tightly shut and not saying a word.
The woman paused, then turned her gaze to Jing Yitong. Her expression turned strange for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and gave a short laugh: "You two are really..."
Jing Yitong simply smiled and remained silent.
The woman shook her head: "It's alright, I don't mind if it's recent or not."
Fang Xingu, on the other end of the phone, listened to their conversation with great curiosity. He felt that the woman's voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't immediately recall who it was.
Jing Yitong said, "Xin Gu, say hello to Sister Ji Yan, she has some clues about Jiang Zhou."
"Sister Jiyan?"
Liang replied, "It's been a long time since we last met."
"It has been quite a long time..."
Fang Xingu was about to ask her why she had clues about Jiang Zhou, but then he remembered that Jing Yitong had told him before that a few years ago, Jiang Zhou's wife committed suicide because she was greatly shocked by Jiang Zhou's infidelity. Liang Jiyan also seemed to be involved in this matter and was eventually blacklisted for several years.
But these were just rumors, and he didn't know the inside story, so he didn't bring them up.
Liang Jiyan didn't waste time being polite with them and went straight to the point: "I do have some clues about Jiang Zhou that you might need."
Jing Yitong made her a cup of tea and gestured for her to speak.
Liang Jiyan said: "There were some improper deals between Jiang Zhou and Xu Xingye, the producer of 'Water Eats Sand,' which is why Xu Xingye insisted on having Jiang Zhou as the director at the beginning. But later, Jiang Zhou was kicked out of the 'Water Eats Sand' crew. Jiang Zhou thought that Xu Xingye had turned his back on him and held a grudge ever since."
Now that "Water Devours Sand" is popular again, Jiang Zhou feels even more resentful. He feels that the benefits Director Han is reaping should rightfully belong to him, which is why he's causing trouble. On one hand, it's to generate buzz for himself; on the other hand, it's a threat to Xu Xingye.
Jing Yitong pondered, "Hmm, it's pretty much what I guessed, but how did you know?"
At this point, Liang Jiyan pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a weary breath, explaining, "This is related to an old case. You know Shen Shiyun, right? Back then, everyone said that Sister Shiyun committed suicide because I interfered in her marriage with Jiang Zhou, which triggered her depression. But it's not that simple."
About ten years ago, Jiang Zhou got into several big productions as a director through Shi Yun's connections, and won several director awards. He became famous and got arrogant. He started to work with Xu Xingye and his gang to pimp for resources in the industry. I was targeted by Jiang Zhou at that time.
He tried to sexually harass me, but by then I was already somewhat famous and could get roles on my own, so how could I agree? But he wouldn't give up, and in the end, he even tried to force himself on me… I was so scared I kept screaming, but luckily, Sister Shi Yun noticed at the crucial moment, rushed in, slapped Jiang Zhou, and saved me.”
Fang Xingu and Jing Yitong exchanged a glance, both frowning, sensing that they were about to hear a heavy story.
With a bitter expression, Liang Jiyan continued, "Sister Shi Yun scolded Jiang Zhou. It was from her words that I learned that this wasn't the first time she had discovered Jiang Zhou's infidelity, and she even developed depression because of it. However, she and Jiang Zhou had some vested interests, so she couldn't easily get a divorce. In addition, she had always thought that the girls who had affairs with Jiang Zhou were all willing, so she could only endure it. It wasn't until she heard my scream that day that she realized that many of them might have been forced."
Sister Shi Yun said she would call the police to expose his affair with Xu Xingye, but Jiang Zhou said that if Sister Shi Yun dared to call the police, he would dare to post the bed photos of the girls he had been with all over the internet. Sister Shi Yun was so angry that she only said "divorce" and left with me.
On the way away, she kept apologizing to me, saying that if she had spoken out from the first time she discovered Jiang Zhou's infidelity, many girls wouldn't have been forced into this situation by him. She said her weakness had harmed so many people… But what did that have to do with her?
Jing Yitong's expression was solemn, his mind racing with thoughts, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only say, "Yes, it has nothing to do with her. It's Jiang Zhou who deserves to die."
Liang Jiyan gave a bitter smile: "That's right, it was Jiang Zhou who should have died, but in the end, it was Sister Shi Yun who couldn't bear the pressure and guilt. She didn't dare to think about how many girls she had harmed because of her momentary tolerance. She wanted to report Jiang Zhou, but she was afraid of causing secondary harm to those girls. In the end, her depression got worse and worse, and she committed suicide not long after."
The suicide of Shi Yun back then sparked a lot of discussion, with many speculating about her reasons. Xu Xingye and his associates, fearing exposure of their own past, shifted the blame onto Jiang Zhou and me. We were subsequently blacklisted for many years. At the time, I wanted to speak out but had no way to do so, and I was extremely disappointed with the entertainment industry, so I simply withdrew from it for a while.
But over the past few years, I've been suffering from insomnia. I often think about the scene where Sister Shi Yun kept apologizing to me, but the person who should be apologizing to me is clearly not her. The person who really committed the crime has not yet received the punishment he deserves. I can't just let it go like this, so I came back again.
While I was taking on minor roles, I contacted the girls who had been sexually assaulted by Jiang Zhou. Some of them were willing to come forward and report him, and some even had preserved evidence. At the same time, I secretly investigated Jiang Zhou and discovered that he had maintained contact with Xu Xingye over the years. Xu Xingye had also promised to arrange for him to get into some good film crews and help him make a comeback.
Jing Yitong then understood why Xu Xingye insisted on including Jiang Zhou, whose style was clearly unsuitable: "So the first resource Xu Xingye gave Jiang Zhou was 'Water Devours Sand.' Who knew that fate would play tricks on us? I was determined to kick Jiang Zhou out. After weighing the pros and cons, Xu Xingye finally listened to my advice and chose to sacrifice Jiang Zhou again."
Liang Jiyan nodded: "Yes, at the time Jiang Zhou thought the matter was settled, and he even started drawing storyboards and preparing in advance. After the contract was signed, he forced Tan Zhi to write songs for him because he had something on Tan Zhi. Back then, he sent a lot of young and beautiful actresses to Tan Zhi's bed..."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xingu, who was drinking water, choked and coughed several times. Jing Yitong wanted to pat his back to help him catch his breath, but then wished she could reach through the phone screen. She could only say helplessly, "What's wrong? Drink your water slowly."
Fang Xin finally caught his breath and thought to himself, "There are things about Tan Zhi that I don't know?"
Fang Xin took out a tissue to wipe his mouth: "I was thinking, some people's cases were originally just civil cases, but now they might turn into criminal cases."
-----------------------
Author's note: [Angry] I'll definitely be able to finish writing it tomorrow! (clenched fist)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com