80 Lies take root
"I disagree," Liu Yuwei said in an unusually calm and rational tone. "Now's not the best time to announce your relationship." Zhang Yi's eyes widened as he looked at the woman sitting on the sofa. Unexpectedly, she'd said the exact same thing, and he couldn't help but look at her differently. He'd seen countless gold diggers pressuring male celebrities to reveal their relationships, or even accusing them of infidelity and violence when things didn't work out. Those willing to remain hidden for years either had a strong emotional connection, like the established superstar couples, or were completely heartbroken and moving on. "This is a crucial period for your transformation, a crucial stage in film preparation. There's no need to take risks." "Xiaoyu, you have no idea what you're getting into!" Jin Lang retorted, his knee hitting the coffee table and causing the water in his glass to slosh and spill. "A lot of people are already exposing you. If things escalate, it'll be even harder to control." "I'm not as fragile as you think. I can protect myself through the law!" Liu Yuwei looked up, a stubbornness in his eyes that she couldn't understand. "And... I don't want you to one day watch 'The Past of the Dust Lantern' with only a 5% screening rate, a dismal box office, and your career crumbling, secretly regretting not going public with it." "Gambling your future on a whim isn't worth it!" "On a whim?" Jin Lang smiled wryly and shook his head. "Xiao Yu, I know you're thinking about me. You're an excellent lawyer, skilled at assessing risks, but have you considered 'us'? Don't you trust my ability to resolve these issues?" Meeting his gaze, Liu Yuwei's eyelashes fluttered, and she could hear the hurt and doubt in his voice. "Jin Lang, it's not that I don't trust you." "It's precisely because I trust your ability, your ability to make 'The Past of the Dust Lantern' visible to more people and understand its significance to you, that I can't let it suffer unnecessary, foreseeable, and enormous risks at this crucial moment due to the exposure of a relationship." Jin Lang's eyes trembled violently. He understood her sacrifice, understood her desire to protect his career this way, but she conveniently avoided discussing "us," avoiding the question of how to interpret a "shady relationship." It was as if their relationship was a nuisance, a stumbling block. That stinging feeling of grievance, mixed with the heartache for her, tangled in a knot in his throat. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, exhaustion and a deep sense of powerlessness filled him, his shoulders slumping. "So, just let them rip? And do nothing?" His fists clenched white at his sides. "Xiaoyu, I can't just stand by and watch!" Liu Yuwei...
"I don't agree." Liu Yuwei's tone was unusually calm and rational. "Now is not the best time to make our relationship public."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi widened his eyes and looked at the woman sitting on the sofa. He didn't expect that she would say exactly the same words as him, and he couldn't help but look at her differently.
He'd seen countless gold diggers pressuring male artists to reveal their relationships, or even accusing them of infidelity and violence when things didn't work out. Those willing to stay in the background for years either had a strong emotional connection, like established superstar couples, or had completely given up and were moving on.
"Now is a critical period for your transformation and an important node in the preparation of the film. There is no need to take risks."
"Xiaoyu, you have no idea what you're going to face!"
Jin Lang objected, his knee hitting the coffee table and causing the water in his glass to slosh and spill. "A lot of people are already trying to expose you. If the situation escalates further, it will be even harder to control."
"I'm not as fragile as you think. I can protect myself with the law!"
Liu Yuwei looked up, and there was a stubbornness in his eyes that she couldn't understand.
"And... I don't want you to one day see 'The Past' with only a 5% screening rate, a dismal box office, and your career crumbling, secretly regretting not releasing it publicly at the time."
"It's not worth it to gamble your future on a momentary impulse!"
"Impulsive?" Jin Lang smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Xiao Yu, I know you're thinking about me. You're an excellent lawyer and you're good at assessing risks, but have you ever thought about 'us'? Don't you believe I have the ability to solve these problems?"
Meeting his gaze, Liu Yuwei's eyelashes trembled. She could hear the hurt and doubt in his words.
"Jin Lang, it's not that I don't believe you."
"It is precisely because I believe in your ability, that you can let more people see 'The Past is a Dust' and know how much this movie means to you, that I cannot let it bear unnecessary, foreseeable, and huge risks at the most critical moment because of the exposure of a relationship."
Jin Lang's eyes were turbulent. He understood her sacrifice and her desire to protect his career in this way, but she avoided discussing "us" and how to deal with this "shady relationship." It was as if their relationship was a trouble, a stumbling block.
The sting of grievance, mixed with the heartache for her, churned into a knot in his throat. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was filled with exhaustion and a deep sense of powerlessness, even his shoulders slumped.
"Just let them rob? And do nothing?" His fists clenched white at his sides. "Xiao Yu, I can't just stand by and watch!"
Liu Yuwei responded quickly, and with a decisiveness that cut the Gordian knot, she looked at Zhang Yi, as if asking for his opinion.
"You can ask the studio to issue a statement saying that I'm your legal advisor and we've worked together before. In an emergency, out of safety concerns, I took the initiative to step on stage to protect the woman. The logic makes sense, and the fans will accept it. It should be over in a few days..."
Liu Yuwei felt that since she could think of such a simple public relations method, Zhang Yi must have considered it as well.
But unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Jin Lang suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze was determined and a little offended and angry.
"no!"
His voice was firm, "Absolutely not."
"Even if it's not publicized for the time being, I don't agree with lying to quell public opinion. A white lie is still a lie!"
"Today I'm denying it for the sake of the movie, hiding you under the identity of a consultant. Will I continue to lie for the sake of box office tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?"
"One day we will stand proudly in the sun! Do we have to find excuses and reasons to deny it every time?"
The passion turned into a whisper in the end.
"Lies take root. If you tell them too many times, people will believe them, and one day we will be separated by these excuses."
Liu Yuwei's eyes welled up as she watched his almost paranoid toughness. But at such a moment, she couldn't let the strong emotions overwhelm her rational defenses.
She leaned closer to him, placed her soft hand on his clenched fist, and slowly pried open his curled fingers. His palms were already covered in sweat.
"Then let's not make it public, nor deny the rumors. Okay?"
Seeing this, Zhang Yi sighed silently. He knew that the storm was far from over.
"I will contact PR companies and familiar media outlets and bloggers to ask them not to repost the content and try to reduce the heat."
"Also, Lawyer Liu, there will probably be a lot of paparazzi around Palm Bay these days. If you absolutely must go out, I suggest you don't stay here to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Liu Yuwei nodded, "I understand. I'll go pack my things then."
"Okay, I'll take you away in my car later."
Jin Lang remained silent, just buried his head in his hands. Zhang Yi walked over and patted his shoulder heavily.
"You also have to believe in my ability to solve problems!"
… Jin Lang stood in the middle of the living room, watching Liu Yuwei moving neatly between the cloakroom, bathroom, study and bedroom, erasing every trace of her bit by bit. He felt very uncomfortable, as if a beautiful dream had been forcibly awakened at its sweetest moment.
Soon, a black suitcase was placed at the door, with a few cat hairs stuck on the wheels.
He strode forward and grabbed her wrist.
"Why don't you just stay?" He said softly, "From the photos secretly taken last winter, you can tell the neighborhood's environment isn't very safe at home!"
Liu Yuwei patted the back of his hand and pretended to be relaxed. "I went to Xiaohe's place and just sent her a WeChat message."
Zhang Yi had already opened the door, and the heat from the corridor rushed in, but Jin Lang still stubbornly refused to let go.
"Well...if you need anything, feel free to call me. I'll pick you up in a few days!"
Seeing Crookshanks strolling behind him with his tail wagging, Liu Yuwei said with a smile, "I'm leaving my 'good son' and 'good daughter' in your care. Take good care of them and don't show favoritism!"
With a click, the living room instantly quieted down. Jin Lang stared at the closed door, his mind suddenly flooded with all sorts of random thoughts. For some reason, he always had a bad premonition, like the oppressive heat before a rainstorm, which made his chest feel stuffy.
He wanted to change his mind and pull her back, but there was no one outside the door.
…
As the elevator descended, Liu Yuwei kept her head down, tugging at the handle of her suitcase. It wasn't until she heard "Lawyer Liu" that she realized she had arrived at the garage. Zhang Yi put her luggage in the trunk and pointed to the passenger seat. "Sit in the front. There's a car seat and my daughter's things in the back, and I didn't have time to pack them."
After setting Xiaohe's home address on the navigation, Liu Yuwei politely said, "I'm sorry to trouble you!"
Zhang Yi glanced at the route displayed on the central control screen, his voice emotionless, "Lawyer Liu has indeed made my job much more difficult!"
He turned the steering wheel. "Before you showed up, I always thought Jin Lang was the easiest artist to help in the entire entertainment industry. I didn't have to worry about him getting into scandals or causing trouble. His energy was focused on filming and his career, so I was willing to devote all my energy to helping him."
Liu Yuwei curled her fingers on her knees. She couldn't guess the deeper meaning behind Zhang Yi's words - was he simply expressing his dissatisfaction with her, or was he trying to persuade her to give up in the name of Jin Lang's future?
When the car drove out of the garage, sunlight suddenly poured in. Liu Yuwei subconsciously squinted her eyes and turned to look at the serious man.
"The value of a helmsman is revealed only when he can ferry people across a river in the storm. Mr. Zhang, what do you think?"
Zhang Yi glanced at her quickly. "What I need to do is demonstrate Jin Lang's value to the market. In the eyes of capital, everyone is a commodity with a fixed price, especially in the entertainment industry."
He paused, his fingertips tapping on the steering wheel. "Did Jin Lang tell you why he wanted to join this circle?"
"He said it was to make money."
"That's... true." There was a brief hesitation in Zhang Yi's words. Perhaps there was something behind this that she didn't know.
"Is there any other reason?"
"Let him talk about his own affairs himself." Zhang Yi turned on the turn signal and drove onto the ring road.
Some words may change their meaning when spoken by others, and even the best of friends should not cross the line.
"But... just now he disagreed with the rumor refutation. It wasn't just what he said. There must be other considerations."
He kept his eyes on the road ahead and spoke in a calm tone.
Liu Yuwei was a little confused, "What do you mean?"
"Think about it, no matter what identity Jin Lang responds to you, whether it's a partner or a high school classmate, as long as it's not officially announced, the outside world will interpret it as a denial of the relationship."
"What about all the things that have been exposed about you before, especially that time when he picked you up when you were drunk, what do you think your fans and netizens will say?"
"Add to that the remarks made by that woman at today's event, and those unrelated people will be able to demonstrate their high moral standards with just a few clicks online. So, you'll soon be labeled a 'mistress' or a 'slut'. Don't think my words are harsh!"
"As for the truth, no one cares except you and your family and friends."
“This is reality!”
Seeing that Liu Yuwei remained silent, Zhang Yi continued to ask.
"Lawyer Liu, are you sure you can handle it all on your own? When your family stands up for you, will you really not blame Jin Lang for not standing up to protect you?"
Just after Liu Yuwei changed her clothes, she simply browsed Weibo and saw some sporadic discussions. She thought at the time that as long as she had a clear conscience, she didn't need to care about those rumors, but she didn't think about it in a deeper or worse direction.
Zhang Yi's words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly making her sober up.
Some words should be said only when they are said. Smart people will definitely understand the hidden meaning. Zhang Yi said no more and just drove quietly.
When the car stopped at the entrance of the alley, he insisted on sending Liu Yuwei upstairs. Before leaving, Zhang Yi reminded her not to use social media in the next few days, saying out of sight, out of mind.
…
After entering the house, Xiaohe saw that Liu Yuwei had a lingering heaviness on her face, and quickly pulled her to the sofa.
"Have you seen all that crap on the Internet?"
She had just come across a lot of comments about Liu Yuwei interfering in other people's marriages and hooking up with famous celebrities. Some of the comments were so disgusting that she almost threw her phone in anger.
Taking the warm water from Xiaohe, Liu Yuwei shook her head and said, "Not yet, but I can probably guess."
She pondered for a moment, then pulled out her phone and explained the situation to Lawyer Tong. She didn't want her case to affect the entire law firm, especially the reputation the public interest group had built up over the years. Lawyer Tong told her to use legal means to protect herself if necessary, and that she could help gather evidence if needed.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Yuwei felt more at ease, at least there was someone who truly believed in her.
In the afternoon, Zhang Yi told Liu Yuwei that he had asked a friend to inquire about the interrogation. The woman who threw the eggs insisted that Liu Yuwei was destroying other people's families and that she was acting on behalf of justice. There was no evidence to prove she was lying, so Liu Yuwei had to swallow her loss.
After Zhang Yi synchronized this information to Jin Lang, he soon received a call back from the other party.
The top priority now is to dispel the rumors surrounding the woman who caused the trouble. After all, for men, infidelity can be forgiven, and returning home can be considered a prodigal son. However, the woman who cheated on them will be permanently stigmatized, with righteous netizens wishing they could reinvent the ink and carve a "three" on the woman's forehead.
Jin Lang suggested investigating the woman's husband, only to discover he was a bald man who streamed games and frequently made obscene jokes. Zhang Yi had the studio anonymously post the evidence online. Once the facts were laid out, netizens quickly shifted their stance. After all, no one would choose a single male celebrity over a married, sleazy man.
As for the posts about Jin Lang's relationship, Zhang Yi mobilized resources to remove several of the most popular trending searches. Coincidentally, the government had just released a plan for retirement age reform, a matter of vital interest to everyone, instantly attracting a significant amount of attention. As the buzz on their phones slowly faded, Liu Yuwei and Jin Lang felt a sense of relief; things seemed to be moving in a positive direction.
But no one expected that late at night is the most active time for netizens, and new whistleblowers have brought new food to the onlookers.
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