No paper can hide fire. In her past life, Mingyu was exposed in the newspapers for being already married and having a child. To deceive the public and her fans, she never acknowledged her biological son.
In chaotic times, it's common for celebrities to get married, divorced, or widowed. The problem lies with Mingyu, who has cultivated a deeply ingrained image of gentleness and kindness in the public eye. People can accept bad people becoming even worse, but they absolutely cannot accept good people having even the slightest flaw.
Suddenly, Mingyu was thrust into the eye of the storm. Everything she had ever done, big or small, was magnified and given new meaning. Actors and directors who had worked with her remained silent. It seemed her character was truly utterly worthless. Newspapers could skip everything else, but they absolutely had to publish her scandals.
These events are vividly etched in Zhou Shaoqiu's memory, because she too had been treated the same way. Fortunately, she had her family by her side then, and she pulled through.
Mingyu, whose acting career was damaged, committed suicide that same night after being verbally abused by fans outside her home.
Mingyu's suicide note was published on the front page of the newspaper. She stated that her background and origins were fabricated by the film company. Initially, due to financial difficulties, she had no say and could only follow the company's arrangements. Later, after she became famous, the film company used the grandfather and granddaughter to control and intimidate her, forcing her to obey them completely. She had no freedom whatsoever, regardless of what roles she played or who she met. Whenever she tried to resist, they threatened to expose her.
Of course, she is not entirely innocent. She herself admits that in the beginning, when she could have resisted, she chose her beloved acting career over being with her grandparents.
The reason she later rebelled was that in that year, she met the man she wanted to spend her life with. His family didn't object to her being a movie star, but they required her to at least have a good reputation.
However, over the years, the films and television dramas that film companies have cast her in have brought her more and more criticism. Apart from the Japanese and her fans, no one speaks well of her.
Her resistance brought her utter destruction. Overnight, all her dirty laundry was published. Her lover quickly severed ties with her and married someone else. It was only then that she learned that the grandmother and grandson, the very people the other party had been holding against her all these years, were already dead.
No one knows whether Mingyu felt any remorse towards the grandfather and granddaughter when she died. Her suicide note was full of accusations, and any mention of them was only briefly touched upon.
The hallway was dimly lit by wall lamps, so quiet it seemed as if no one was in any of the rooms. The carpet was soft, and her shoes felt uncomfortablely rough underfoot. Even so, Xu Keke could still hear footsteps behind her. There were at least four people, and not just one group.
She didn't turn around, but Zhou Zi'an heard it too. He deliberately turned around to look, and the cold smile on his lips made his disdain for the people behind him all too clear.
The hotel room had a simple layout: a living room outside and a bedroom inside. Sitting on the sofa, you could see right into the bedroom with the door open.
Zhou Zian sat next to Xu Keke with his legs crossed, the scene resembling a movie scene. Mingyu was crying uncontrollably, while the old woman's face was ashen.
“If you expose this, she might hate you,” Zhou Zi’an whispered in her ear.
Xu Keke knew he was referring to Mingyu, and just smiled. What she did had nothing to do with Mingyu. Even initially, she wanted to use this news to hurt Tang Wan and make her efforts futile. Later, she changed her mind, hoping that the grandmother and granddaughter would no longer be targeted.
Therefore, she didn't care what Mingyu thought.
"Miss Zhou, may I leave now?"
Mingyu truly lives up to her title as the queen of tragic dramas; even while crying like this, she shows no sign of distress. The pink blush spreading at the corners of her eyes, her eyes glistening as if washed clean, and her sorrowful expression only make her seem more pitiful and endearing.
Xu Keke looked at the old woman inside the house, but the old woman did not look at them. She was completely indifferent to these things and was still immersed in her own grief.
Xu Keke didn't ask Mingyu what the grandmother and granddaughter were going to do. She waved for her to leave first.
Neither Zhou Zi'an nor Xu Keke urged the old woman. They sat silently on the sofa, neither moving. A short while later, there was a knock at the door. Zhou Zi'an instructed Sun Cheng, who was standing by the door,
"Open the door!"
Tang Wan and Young Master Lin walked in from outside. They were followed by three bodyguards. Sun Cheng didn't stop them, but he also didn't close the door, leaving it wide open. He stood by the door.
“Miss Zhou, these two are Mingyu’s relatives. I wonder if it would be possible to return them to her?”
Xu Keke laughed, "I don't think Mingyu intends to take the person back. Otherwise, she could have told me directly just now."
"Just give us the people, that's all. Stop with the nonsense!" Young Master Lin was like a lit firecracker, so arrogant that you wanted to punch him.
Xu Keke winked at Zhou Zian, signaling him not to rush, and said with a smile, "Young Master Lin is indeed a member of the gang. He just wants it without asking. But you should at least ask Miss Tang's opinion. Is she sure she still wants this person?"
Miss Tang is probably just trying to gauge our intentions. Let me be frank: we respect their decision regarding their future. As for whether it will affect Mingyu, I advise you to find another way.
If three or more people know something, it's no longer a secret.
Xu Keke calmly looked at Tang Wan. Even if Zhou Shaoqiu were reborn, he wouldn't connect the missing persons notice with the famous star Mingyu. Therefore, Tang Wan wouldn't suspect anything else; she would only think that someone had leaked the secret.
After hearing Xu Keke's words, Tang Wan smiled politely at the two of them and said, "Miss Zhou, I have some misunderstandings with you. Do you think we could find some time to talk privately and clear things up? Maybe we can even become friends."
She deliberately imitated a man's tone and mannerisms, which only made Xu Keke find it amusing.
"The banquet is probably still waiting for Miss Tang, so we won't keep you any longer."
Zhou Zi'an didn't give Xu Keke a chance to reply and directly asked her to leave. Perhaps in his heart, he also felt that Tang Wan was talking nonsense.
Tang Wan clearly didn't want to antagonize Zhou Zi'an. She glanced at the old woman in the bedroom, smiled and nodded to the two of them, then, without saying anything more, she took the young master of the Lin family and left with her entourage.
As the room door closed, Xu Keke got up and went to the bedroom, saying to the old woman, "We can't stay here any longer, let's go back first."
Unexpectedly, the old woman knelt down with a thud. She pulled out a palm-sized piece of paper and a charcoal pencil from her bosom. She wrote a few words and handed them to Xu Keke: "Please take me in, Miss."
Looking at the five words she had written, Xu Keke sighed, "Get up first, we'll talk about it when we get back. This isn't something I can decide on my own. We can't stay here any longer."
The old woman understood Xu Keke's meaning and stopped dawdling. She got up and followed behind the Zhou siblings, with Sun Cheng bringing up the rear. The group left the hotel.
Just as Sun Cheng started the car, someone rushed over and banged on the car window.
“It’s Mr. Ji,” Sun Cheng said.
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