Old Fourth, You've Changed. Where's My Former Simple and Cute Sister Xiang

At the end of last month,

Bian Xiaoxiao's assistant posted the first inflammatory thread on Weibo.

The assistant, known as Zhixin, published a post accusing a certain male actor of physically assaulting Bian Xiaoxiao on set due to creative differences. While the post didn’t explicitly name the actor, it tagged ‘Yin Xiaotian’ at the end, making the target unmistakable.

Shortly after, Bian Xiaoxiao herself confirmed she was the victim in the incident and publicly denounced Yin Xiaotian, calling him "unmanly" and claiming he "only knew how to hit women."

This quickly sparked widespread attention.

However,

the incident was initially overshadowed by other trending topics.

Now that the dust has settled—with some people arrested, others banned—the public finally became aware of this drama in the entertainment industry.

These days, celebrity feuds are always entertaining to watch.

Especially when it involves a male actor hitting a female one.

To be honest, many people had no idea who Bian Xiaoxiao was, but Yin Xiaotian? That name rang a bell for plenty of fans.

He’s been gaining traction as a rising star.

Even if he doesn’t have massive fame yet, his name isn’t unfamiliar.

……

Yin Xiaotian also responded with a post, denying the assault allegations.

Honestly, the whole thing wasn’t that big of a deal. Whether he hit her or not, even if he did, as long as no one ended up in the hospital, does it even count as an incident?

At least, Young Master Cao didn’t think so.

In fact, he hoped it was true—just for the entertainment value.

But…

As the buzz around Young Master Cao faded, the controversy around Yin Xiaotian gained momentum, drawing attention both inside and outside the industry.

Many witnessed the sheer power of online influence.

Truth be told,

a lot of celebrities had been corrupted by Young Master Cao’s example.

They’d seen how effective stirring up drama could be—how a simple feud could rally fans, push them to trend, and land them on the hot search list.

This was nothing like the old PR playbook.

Back then, you needed interviews, TV appearances, and connections with newspapers and broadcasters.

Now?

All it took was a few provocative posts on Weibo—whether targeting peers, fans, or even just rambling to yourself—and fans would go wild, as if hyped on adrenaline.

No one was stupid.

Everyone recognized this as a zero-risk, high-reward game.

Just look at Cao Cheng—ever since his public spat with Little Cannon, how much attention had he raked in?

The industry watched, took notes, and learned.

Of course, no one dared to provoke Young Master Cao—not when he controlled theater chains, essentially holding the lifeblood of the entertainment world. Who would risk his wrath?

But Yin Xiaotian?

What was he?

A nobody.

Yet he still carried the label of a rising star.

Perfect for clout-chasing, perfect for trampling.

Especially now that he was in the wrong—hitting a woman? Well, don’t blame the vultures for swooping in.

That’s showbiz for you.

Friendship exists, but it’s rare.

……

Soon, celebrities started jumping into the fray.

And not just any celebrities—many were Yin Xiaotian’s so-called "friends."

Yang Zi—Huang Shengyi’s husband—was among the first to milk the situation, posting screenshots of alleged footage and urging Yin Xiaotian to apologize.

His tone was dripping with faux concern: "Bro, I’m saying this for your own good. Just apologize and move on. Be the bigger person."

With that post, the floodgates opened.

Many couldn’t resist joining the pile-on.

Names like Li Chen, Du Chun, Wang Luodan, Li Xiaolu, Jia Nailv, Dong Xuan, and more all took their turns.

History would later dub this: The Backstabbing Brotherhood!

……

Seeing these familiar faces, Cao Cheng shook his head.

There was probably no mastermind behind this—just opportunists chasing clout.

Pure and simple, they were kicking a man while he was down.

Maybe they genuinely believed the blurry screenshots Bian Xiaoxiao’s camp released. Or maybe they figured Yin Xiaotian had no way to clear his name, making him an easy target.

Either way,

with so many people piling on, no one could pin the blame on him, right?

The more people joined, the more others followed, eager to ride the wave.

Even Bao Jianfeng, who had some clout of his own, couldn’t resist chiming in. He tagged a director and quipped, "Next time, hire me instead. I don’t hit people, I don’t rewrite scripts, and I’m emotionally stable."

Seriously?

What kind of garbage take was that?

Then again,

could you really blame him?

At least he wasn’t outright demanding an apology like the others—just being smug and thinking he was clever.

But hey, that’s showbiz.

……

Meanwhile,

Young Master Cao watched the online chaos unfold, laughing so hard he nearly fell over.

Most of the fans had jumped into the fray, armed with colorful language and creative insults targeting each other’s ancestors.

The entire battlefield had devolved into absolute mayhem.

"Here!"

The Fourth brought over a plate of fruit, freshly cut by the housekeepers, and set it on the coffee table.

Then she glanced at the laptop in front of Young Master Cao.

"You’re following this too?"

"Following what?"

"The on-set fight drama." The Fourth still hadn’t grasped the gravity of the situation.

Then again,

given the current evidence and public sentiment, Yin Xiaotian was already doomed.

The court of public opinion had convicted him.

Some brands had already announced they were cutting ties with him.

It was a classic case of "when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter"—even his own crew stayed silent.

Cao Cheng shot back, "What do you think really happened?"

The Fourth shrugged. "Doesn’t matter. There’s no such thing as truth in this industry."

"..."

Cao Cheng raised an eyebrow. "You’ve gained wisdom?"

The Fourth snorted, kicked off her slippers, and curled up on the couch. "The longer you’re in this business, the more you realize everything’s fake—or at least mostly fake, with a sprinkle of truth."

"Take this mess. Even if Yin Xiaotian didn’t hit her, there was definitely some kind of altercation. Those screenshots show him reaching out—at the very least, he pushed her."

Cao Cheng had to admit, The Fourth had gotten sharper.

Had she been eating wisdom pills or something?

He mentally scolded himself—those "enlightenment teas" and "enlightenment incense" he’d shared with her had been a mistake.

Now she was outsmarting him, stealing his thunder.

The Fourth continued smugly, sounding like a proud little piglet: "If Yin Xiaotian can’t produce evidence to counter this, even a single screenshot is enough to bury him."

"And even if he gets buried, no one will pity him. He’s an idiot for not keeping receipts or protecting himself during the conflict."

"Can’t blame anyone but himself."

She sounded like a full-blown capitalist.

Internally, Cao Cheng agreed.

The world wasn’t divided into good and evil—just the smart and the stupid.

If you couldn’t even defend yourself, then you deserved to get crushed.

But outwardly, he feigned disapproval.

"The Fourth, where did you learn to talk like a heartless mogul? You’ve changed. You’ve changed!"

Cao Cheng clutched his chest dramatically. "Give me back my sweet, innocent Xiang Mei Mei!"

The Fourth rolled her eyes and lunged at him, fists flying. "I learned it from you!"

"Lies! I’m a gentleman!" Cao Cheng raised his arms to block.

The Fourth sneered, "And you call yourself a gentleman? You treat your competitors in the cosmetics industry like dogs. The moment anyone resists, you cut off their X-serum supply without a second thought, completely ignoring the contracts. With behavior like that, you’re the real capitalist—the ruthless kind."

"..."

How did The Fourth even know about this?

Cao Cheng was puzzled.

But Young Master Cao would never admit it. "You’re talking nonsense. This is just normal business operations. What do you mean, ‘cutting off supplies’? I allocate based on inventory. There’s no deliberate retaliation here. I respect the spirit of contracts."

"You? The spirit of contracts?" The Fourth snorted, pinning Cao Cheng down.

Cao Cheng struggled. "I really do respect the spirit of abandoning contracts—abandon when you say you’ll abandon, uphold when you say you’ll uphold. Isn’t that the spirit of abandoning contracts?"

"..."

The Fourth froze, taking a few seconds to process it. "You think ‘contract spirit’ is ‘abandon’ as in giving up?"

"Well, yeah. What else?" Cao Cheng blinked with feigned innocence.

The Fourth burst out laughing, giving him a thumbs-up. "Alright, alright. You’re really good at playing word games."

"What are you even talking about? I don’t get it." Cao Cheng rolled his eyes.

The Fourth punched him lightly and chuckled. "Can’t out-talk you, kid. Here, help me massage my legs."

With that, she leaned back into a comfortable position and draped her legs over his lap.

Cao Cheng instinctively reached out.

The Fourth closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, and casually asked, "Why are you suddenly interested in trivial entertainment gossip? What, you’ve got your eye on that actress Bian Xiaoxiao?"

As always, The Fourth knew Young Master Cao well.

She knew he had a thing for actresses.

Not necessarily to do anything with them—just admiring the view.

After all, about 80% of the artists in his company were women.

Cao Cheng shook his head. "I want to sign Yin Xiaotian."

"Huh?" The Fourth’s eyes snapped open. "Did your preferences change?"

Cao Cheng pinched her hard.

The Fourth yelped in pain and retaliated with a kick.

The scuffle only ended when Young Master Cao pinned her down.

Cao Cheng didn’t bother explaining.

He just gave the order: "Tomorrow, have Sister Li reach out to Xiaotian. Ask if he’s interested in joining Miracle. We can offer him major roles—maybe not the lead right away, but he can pick any supporting or second male lead."

"You’re serious?" The Fourth was stunned.

After all, Yin Xiaotian’s reputation wasn’t great right now, and his acting was decent at best—mid-tier, maybe slightly above.

Sure, he was signable.

But was this really the time to do it?

Why willingly draw fire for him?

Even if Miracle Media wasn’t afraid of backlash from fans, there was no need to invite trouble.

"Relax, just ask. He’s not stupid—he’s definitely got evidence tucked away, and his connections aren’t bad. Look, even though a lot of people are bashing him publicly, there are still a few standing by him purely because they believe in his character."

"Even with no solid proof—and even with screenshots that seem to paint him in a bad light—some industry insiders still publicly support him. The numbers are small, but it’s enough to show he’s got integrity and isn’t an idiot."

"Only fools don’t have friends willing to stand with them in a storm."

After Cao Cheng finished, The Fourth seemed convinced.

She looked it up.

Sure enough, a few friends had posted in support, though their voices were drowned out by the backlash from the "Backstabbers’ Club" fans.

Yet they hadn’t deleted their posts.

That said a lot.