The executives from other platforms, upon reviewing the materials sent by Lei Hui, had essentially the same thought as the CEO of Weibo—they absolutely must not offend Lin Xuan!
As soon as the trending topics arranged by Tianmu Group went live, Starlight Group was thrown into chaos.
Lin Chang, who had drunk too much the night before, woke up very late. Even now, he was still somewhat intoxicated, though his mind remained clear enough.
Staggering unsteadily, Lin Chang made his way to the company.
Lin Qingwan, the head of Starlight Entertainment's entertainment division, rushed into his office in a panic.
"What's going on?" Lin Chang asked as he wiped his glasses.
"Dad, something terrible has happened," Lin Qingwan said urgently.
"What could possibly be worse?" Lin Chang replied, exhaustion evident on his face.
What could be more devastating than the gaming crisis?
"Dad," Lin Qingwan quickly reported, "our company's artists—Luo Qing, Li Qi, and Lin Xiaoxuan—have been exposed for scandals."
"Just pull the trending topics and hire PR teams to clean it up," Lin Chang said wearily.
Right now, all he wanted was to rest. He had no energy to deal with company matters.
"Don’t bother me with these minor issues. Handle it yourself."
"Dad," Lin Qingwan lowered her head and continued, "their scandals exploded across all platforms' trending lists before we could react. Even if we remove the topics now, it's too late."
"Then ignore it," Lin Chang waved his hand dismissively. "Bad publicity is still publicity. Besides, the internet has a three-second memory. Their fans aren’t useless—they’ll defend their idols."
"But Dad, what if the scandals are serious enough to get them banned?" Lin Qingwan’s lips trembled as she spoke.
Lin Chang froze. "What kind of scandals?"
"Luo Qing used a surrogate abroad, Li Qi solicited prostitutes, and Lin Xiaoxuan was involved in drug use," Lin Qingwan summarized their offenses in just a few words.
"What?!" Lin Chang’s eyes widened, his face turning pale.
"How is this possible? These were all well-hidden secrets. How were they exposed?" he muttered in disbelief.
Qingwan was right—these were absolutely grounds for a ban!
These artists were carefully cultivated by the company and had become major stars. The least profitable among them still earned tens of millions a year.
If they were banned, that revenue would vanish—a massive loss for the company!
"Chairman!" Another executive stumbled into the office in a panic.
Just the sight of him made Lin Chang’s heart sink with dread.
"What now?" Lin Chang barked. "Spit it out!"
The executive was visibly shaken by Lin Chang’s outburst.
"Chairman," he said nervously, "Jing Haipeng has also been exposed—for sleeping with a fan, and the victim was a minor. He’s already been taken away by the police."
"What?!" Lin Chang’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull.
"We already covered this up! How did it get out?" He grabbed the executive’s shoulders and shook him violently. "Tell me! How did this happen?!"
All evidence had been thoroughly erased.
Since then, Jing Haipeng had behaved, and his team had kept a tight watch on him. There was no way he could have repeated his actions.
"Phone! Give me your phone!" Lin Chang roared.
"Chairman, here’s the report on Jing Haipeng," the executive said, pulling up the article before shakily handing over the device.
Lin Chang’s eyes locked onto the screen as he muttered, "This can’t be… I had all the evidence destroyed. How is this still here?"
Jing Haipeng was Starlight’s top star, cultivated at great expense. His annual earnings alone brought the company over 200 million.
Now that he was in police custody, all of that was gone.
Lin Chang collapsed into his chair, drained.
"Chairman!"
Yet another executive rushed in.
"Speak!" Lin Chang shouted again.
The man flinched before stammering, "Chen Ting is also in trouble—exposed for cheating on her spouse."
Hearing this, Lin Chang actually sighed in relief.
At least it was just infidelity.
Not enough for a ban—just a hit to her reputation. Though damaging to her career, it could still be salvaged.
"But… she was also exposed for drunk driving, killing someone in a hit-and-run, and then bribing her way out of it," the executive added hesitantly.
"What?!" Lin Chang’s eyes widened again.
"Chairman, it’s bad!"
One subordinate after another came running in.
Every single artist under the company was now embroiled in scandal!
"Who… Who is doing this? Who’s targeting us like this?!" Lin Chang growled through clenched teeth, his voice thick with hatred.
Whoever was behind this was trying to destroy Starlight Entertainment.
His mind was too scrambled to think clearly about who could be responsible.
Then Lin Qingwan suddenly remembered what Lin Xuan had said during their meeting.
"Dad," she said softly, stepping closer, "do you think… this could be Xiao Xuan’s doing?"
Lin Chang frowned. "Lin Xuan?"
"Yes," Lin Qingwan nodded grimly. "When we met at the hotel, he told you to 'prepare for three days.' Today is exactly the third day."
"Besides, Xiao Xuan is skilled in hacking, and his company has considerable resources. It wouldn’t be hard for him to dig up this kind of dirt."
At this, Lin Chang’s fists clenched tightly.
It had to be Lin Xuan!
No one else hated him—hated Starlight Group—this much.
"Lin Xuan!"
He crushed a sheet of paper in his hand, his eyes burning with fury.
"Chairman, another problem!" Another executive burst in.
"Go on," Lin Chang said, rubbing his temples from his chair.
Probably another artist exposed for career-ending misconduct.
But Lin Qingwan frowned.
All the moderately popular artists had already been exposed. The remaining lesser-known ones held little value for Starlight—would Lin Xuan really go to such lengths to dig up dirt on them?
This executive wasn’t from the entertainment division.
He handled construction matters. Could it be…?
Lin Qingwan’s eyes widened in realization.
"General Manager Jiang, what is it? Speak quickly!" she urged.
(Note: The last few lines appear to be unrelated author notes or acknowledgments, so they have been omitted for coherence in the translation.)
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
