"Brother, Chaochao is being scolded like this, aren't you going to call the production team?"
In the study, Zhu Qian stood in front of Zhu Xingye, holding his phone, and asked anxiously.
He had just gotten home from the hospital and hadn't even had time to change out of his white coat when he rushed into Zhu Xingye's study.
The live stream was playing on the computer. Zhu Xingye sat lazily in his chair with his legs crossed, his eyes glued to Zhu Jinzhao the whole time, not sparing a moment for Zhu Qian.
"What's the point of calling the production team? The person was insulted by netizens. Can the production team really find all those netizens just by looking at the screen?"
"Besides, this is a live variety show. What do you want the production team to do when you call them? Shut down Chaochao's live stream? Or ban all netizens?"
"..." Zhu Qian frowned, unable to answer Zhu Xingye's question.
On the computer screen, Zhu Jinzhao and Li Weiwan were having a live video call. Li Weiwan's appearance visibly improved Zhu Jinzhao's mood considerably. She stared intently at the unfamiliar man, her smile charming and adorable.
Zhu Xingye became increasingly irritated as he watched, so he simply rewound the video and returned to the moment when Zhu Jinzhao was smiling and drawing.
"This is the path that Chaochao chose herself. Whatever happens along the way, she should bear it all by herself."
"But what did she do wrong?" Zhu Qian gripped his phone tightly, his usually gentle demeanor now showing signs of anger and he was almost losing control of his expression.
"She's a complete newcomer to the entertainment industry, it's her first day in the business. What do these inexplicable netizens find so objectionable that they have to use such vicious words to insult her?"
"No celebrity is immune to criticism." Compared to Zhu Qian's irritable reaction, Zhu Xingye's emotions seemed much calmer.
He rested one hand on the edge of the desk, his long, slender index finger tapping the surface lightly: "From the day Chaochao signed her artist contract, you, me, and her should have anticipated this situation. With great power comes great responsibility. How much criticism and humiliation did Aning endure along the way, going from an unknown professional player to the prodigy jungler she is today?"
"These are all hurdles you have to overcome to take this path. If you feel sorry for Chaochao and want to clear out the online abuse for her, the best way is to pay her the penalty for breach of contract. Once you've paid the penalty, you can bring her back and continue to provide her with a comfortable life."
"..." Zhu Qian was rendered speechless by the rebuke.
He raised his hand to take off his glasses, looked at the ceiling above his head and took a few deep breaths. After a while, he managed to suppress his anger.
"...So we're just going to ignore her?" He was silent for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice was a little hoarse.
Zhu Xingye: "I have already called Yang Min. Yang Min said that Qunxing Media's legal department is already preparing to file a lawsuit against them and will definitely not let Chaochao suffer these hardships for nothing."
"Hmm." Zhu Qian nodded, then asked, "What about us? As Chaochao's older brothers, shouldn't we do something for her?"
Zhu Xingye: "I'll do what I need to do, you don't need to worry. Besides, Chaochao has Shi Jing protecting her. Who is Shi Jing? With him backing her up, how could Chaochao suffer a loss?"
When Zhu Xingye said this, his tone was completely flat. But Zhu Qian, listening to him, inexplicably sensed a strange, sarcastic tone.
Zhu Xingye curled his lips into a half-smile: "One is Shi Jing, the other is Li Weiwan, Chaochao's popularity with the opposite sex is even better than I imagined..."
...
As night deepened, the bustling tourists on the beach had long since dispersed, leaving only a dozen or so people strolling quietly along the deep blue shore.
"Whoosh..."
The waves surged and churned, creating splashes of water. One wave after another crashed in, the warm seawater washing over Zhu Jinzhao's feet before swiftly receding into the distance.
The sea breeze was a bit strong, and Zhu Jinzhao's long, loose hair was blown into a slightly messy state. She raised her hand and casually ran her fingers through her hair to prevent strands from blocking her eyes.
"Zhu Jinzhao, why are you such a coward?" Shi Jing's cold voice rang out, accompanied by the sound of waves. Zhu Jinzhao chuckled after hearing this and replied in a completely irrelevant way:
"Shi Jing, thank you for being willing to protect me."
"I don't want your thanks, I want your answer." Shi Jing turned his head and stared at her fiercely, his words as domineering as his personality.
Looking at the faint, starlight-like ship lights on the distant sea, Zhu Jinchao's smile turned somewhat bitter.
"Shi Jing, shall I tell you a story?" she asked instead of answering, and even steered the conversation to a place two miles away.
"Zhu Jinzhao!" Shi Jing's tone turned cold, clearly angry at Zhu Jinzhao's evasion.
Zhu Jinzhao smiled, but continued speaking to herself.
"A long, long time ago, there was a poor little girl. Because she was slow to react and speak, she was ridiculed as a fool from a young age. She had no friends, and her family disliked her. From the time she could remember, she was all alone."
"Why don't her family like her? No matter how stupid or clumsy she is, aren't they still their own child?" Although Shi Jing was angry, he was also listening attentively to Zhu Jinzhao. If he didn't understand something, he would immediately ask.
Zhu Jinzhao tilted her head to look at him and said with a smile, "Because she's not likable. She's always dull and doesn't act like other children who are lively and outstanding. She doesn't know how to please her parents, so of course her family won't like a blockhead like her."
Shi Jing frowned, his anger subsiding slightly: "And then?"
Zhu Jinzhao: "Then she had a younger sister. The younger sister was lively and clever, and the whole family doted on her. No one paid attention to the introverted and lonely child anymore. When the child was six years old, she went to primary school. At school, those annoying boys always bullied her. They made up nasty nicknames for her and blocked her in the alley after school, not letting her go home."
"She felt wronged, but had no one to confide in. Her parents only cared about her younger sister and ignored her complaints. Sometimes they would even blame her, saying that it was because she was too boring and didn't know how to make friends that people bullied her. She tried to talk to the teacher, but the teacher said it was just a joke between children and didn't want to get involved."
"She felt as if no one was willing to help her, and she dared not speak of it again after that."
"...And then?" Shi Jing's agitated mood gradually calmed down, and he was completely absorbed in Zhu Jinzhao's "story".
Zhu Jinzhao took a deep breath: "There was no 'then,' and the child silently endured the bullying for six years. When she entered junior high school, she naively thought that the bullying might lessen. But she never expected that the bullying would turn into 'bullying,' and her life would be even more difficult than in elementary school."
“The tough girl in the class always took pleasure in bullying her, and she was only slightly satisfied when she made her cry. She originally had a friend, but that friend was afraid of being implicated by her, so after a few days she cut ties with her and joined the group that isolated her.”
"Back then, she always felt that the world was dark, dark during the day and dark at night. She wasn't a person; she was a toy for others when they were bored, a broken doll used by the family to vent their anger."
"She was scolded, ridiculed, isolated and ostracized, but also pitied. Fortunately, those people didn't hit her, and she occasionally felt lucky."
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