After returning to the car, Yuan Shang had a look like the sky had fallen.
Xu Tang didn’t know what had happened and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Yuan Shang handed him his phone. When Xu Tang saw the content on the screen, his expression immediately turned unpleasant as well—things were already chaotic enough, and now this. He felt that Zong Xuan might actually be driven mad by him.
Before he could think about what to do next, Kang Duo’s call came in.
“Brother Kang.” Xu Tang answered. This mess definitely had to be handled by Kang Duo.
Surprisingly, Kang Duo wasn’t angry this time. His tone was even rather gentle as he asked, “What’s wrong? Are you really upset?”
He was clearly concerned about Xu Tang. Although Kang Duo usually criticized Xu Tang’s feelings toward Zong Xuan, he could still understand the emotions of liking someone. So criticism aside, respect was still there—after all, Zong Xuan wasn’t a scumbag and wasn’t someone unworthy of being liked.
“I’m fine.” Xu Tang smiled. “I just zoned out for a moment and didn’t expect it to be written like that.”
If this had happened normally, it wouldn’t have been a big deal at all. Any singer forgets lyrics sometimes, especially when the lyric prompt screen isn’t on.
Hearing his tone and sensing he really seemed fine, Kang Duo changed his attitude and snapped, “When could you have forgotten lyrics and picked this time?! We originally held the initiative. I was even waiting for Wen Hui to come beg us so we could make some demands. Now it’s all gone—we’ve lost the initiative, and she might even think we’re causing trouble!”
“Sorry…” Setting aside his feelings for Zong Xuan, his relationship with Zong Xuan was still fundamentally a cooperative one, and there were interests involved. Kang Duo’s frustration over losing leverage was understandable.
“What are you apologizing for?” Kang Duo was protective as always. “It’s all Zong Yingdi’s fault. He was living a good life and had to cause this scandal. Why isn’t he clarifying it yet? How long does he plan to drag this out?” If not for this incident, even if Xu Tang had forgotten every lyric during rehearsal, no one would have reported it.
“It should be soon,” Xu Tang said.
Kang Duo clicked his tongue. “I think they just don’t take you seriously. If you were Zong Yingdi’s real love, with his temper, he would’ve exploded immediately. Honestly, I don’t even know what to say to you anymore.”
With that said, Xu Tang suddenly felt something inside him hollow out, and he replied dryly, “Yeah…”
Kang Duo sighed deeply and didn’t say anything more harsh. “Alright, go back and rest well. I’ve already contacted the PR department; we’ll have a meeting later. I’ll also contact Wen Hui’s side and discuss the results before calling you.”
“Okay, thank you for your hard work,” Xu Tang said.
Kang Duo didn’t say anything more and hung up.
Yuan Shang carefully watched Xu Tang. Because there were many reporters blocking the road outside and it was noisy, Xu Tang turned up his phone volume. After they broke through the crowd and got onto the main road, things quieted down, and Kang Duo’s voice came through clearly. Yuan Shang heard everything.
He wasn’t afraid that Xu Tang would lose his temper—he just felt that Kang Duo’s words were really harsh.
Sometimes Yuan Shang also felt it wasn’t fair to Xu Tang, and that Kang Duo’s words were unpleasant, even if they weren’t wrong. But then again, if Xu Tang was happy, that was enough. The pressure on celebrities was already huge, and having even a little happiness was good for relief. So he rarely commented on Xu Tang and Zong Yingdi’s matters.
Even so, this time he still felt Kang Duo was right. In the end, the reason things dragged on was because Zong Yingdi’s side didn’t take Xu Tang seriously enough. If Xu Tang were truly Zong Yingdi’s lover, Zong Yingdi would have released a statement the same night. He didn’t believe someone at Zong Yingdi’s level couldn’t get solid evidence. As for that Mr. Zhao, compared with the Xue family, what was there to fear?
Xu Tang put his phone back into his pocket and smiled at Yuan Shang, who looked at him with sympathy. He knew everyone around him was worried about him. But this kind of concern… really hurt.
He hadn’t read the fans’ comments, but Zong Xuan, who had received the news, had already seen them.
“Zong Yingdi really went too far this time, he actually hurt our Tang Tang like this!”
“I think this is basically confirmed. Otherwise why hasn’t Zong Xuan spoken up? That’s not like him.”
“I think these two probably already broke up, just haven’t announced it yet.”
“Agree above. Otherwise Xu Tang doing this now is basically harming Zong Xuan, right? Now he’s standing on the moral high ground while Zong Xuan is getting roasted.”
“Are you guys sick? Xu Tang is clearly the victim. Why are you trying to shift blame onto him?”
“Standing up for Xu Tang! If Zong Yingdi didn’t cheat, none of this would’ve happened!”
“Let me be fair, singers forgetting lyrics isn’t rare. No need to overthink it.”
…
Although they were both in entertainment, the music industry and film industry were still somewhat different. Zong Xuan wasn’t very familiar with the music industry, but Xu Tang forgetting lyrics at this time really wasn’t ideal.
But since it had already happened, they had to find a way to deal with it.
While scrolling, Wen Hui called.
“What do you think about this?” Wen Hui went straight to the point.
“What?” Zong Xuan leaned lazily on the sofa. “You also think he did it on purpose?”
“What do you mean ‘also’? Have you been on Weibo?” Wen Hui immediately caught on.
“Yeah,” Zong Xuan didn’t deny it. “I’ll ask him when he comes back.”
Wen Hui didn’t want to suspect Xu Tang, but in this circle she had to consider more possibilities. If she was being suspicious, then fine; if not, they could act quickly.
Zong Xuan looked at the ticking second hand on the wall clock and said calmly, “Whether he did it on purpose or not, the truth is we reacted too slowly. If we had directly issued a statement back then and not overthought it, nothing would’ve happened.” But now it was too late.
Wen Hui understood this too and didn’t argue. “It was indeed my oversight. I’ll handle the rest as quickly as possible. You don’t have any schedule recently, so don’t go out. Wait until things settle down.”
Zong Xuan smiled. “I’m afraid I can’t. I have an appointment tonight.”
“What appointment?” Wen Hui frowned.
Zong Xuan sounded in a good mood. “Yi Zheng is back.”
After returning home, Xu Tang went straight upstairs. When he reached the second floor, he glanced at the closed door and thought that at dinner he should apologize when Zong Xuan came down. Even if the other party didn’t really care about him, he couldn’t deny that his mistake had pushed things into another wave of escalation. Kang Duo’s side and Wen Hui’s negotiations weren’t his concern, but what he should do, he still had to do.
However, things didn’t go as planned—Zong Xuan didn’t come down for dinner and instead went out directly.
Looking at the slippers left on the floor, Xu Tang gave a self-mocking smile, heated up his dinner, and sat down to eat alone.
On Zong Xuan’s side, he left through a side gate of the residential community, where only pedestrians could pass. His driver was already waiting by the gate.
He got into the car and headed to the reserved private room at “Bai Sheng Club.”
Bai Sheng Club wasn’t a place where entertainers usually went; it was more often frequented by older businesspeople. The food here was all health-focused and very light, not popular with younger people.
Zong Xuan didn’t like it either, but Teng Yizheng did. More importantly, it was hard for paparazzi to show up here, so they chose this place.
When Zong Xuan entered, Teng Yizheng was already waiting, and the dishes were already ordered.
Seeing him, Teng Yizheng stood up and extended his hand with a smile.
Zong Xuan also smiled, walked over, and hugged him. After a moment, they separated.
After they sat down again, dishes were quickly served and the waiter left, closing the door behind them.
“You’re not leaving this time?” Zong Xuan asked with a smile.
“Mm. I’ve finished my studies there, and after playing around so long, it’s time to come back and work,” Teng Yizheng said as he placed food into Zong Xuan’s bowl.
Teng Yizheng and Zong Xuan had been classmates since middle school, attended the same high school, and only went to different universities. But the schools were close, so they often met for meals and movies, and their relationship had always been good.
Teng Yizheng looked refined, wore glasses, and had the aura of a corporate elite, with both pride and sharp intelligence.
Zong Xuan nodded. “Any plans?”
“I started building a team a year ago for an overseas shopping app. The team is basically ready, and I’m about to start development.”
“Isn’t that a very competitive field?” Zong Xuan said.
“There’s competition in every industry,” Teng Yizheng replied confidently. “And emerging industries require large investment and are harder. There are many similar apps, but most lack promotion. I plan to focus on that and carve out a market.”
“Then you should plan carefully.”
“Mm, I know.” Teng Yizheng looked at him. “How have you been recently? And Xu Tang?”
“Do you even know how to ask that?” Zong Xuan looked at him, his emotions complicated—friendship, affection, restraint, and distance…
“I’m not probing. I’m just concerned about you,” Teng Yizheng said.
“Mm,” Zong Xuan’s smile carried a hint of disappointment. “You can just go online and see; that’s enough to know how I’ve been.”
“I don’t believe online rumors. I only believe what you tell me.”
That softened Zong Xuan a little. “Same as always. We’ve just both been busy lately, so we’ve actually been seeing each other more often. Nothing much. I had a small rumor recently, but it’ll be dealt with soon.”
“That’s good. Entertainment news is always half true and half false. Don’t let it affect you.”
“I know.” Talking with Teng Yizheng always made him feel at ease.
Meanwhile, after finishing half his meal, Xu Tang received a call from He Xin.
“Are you also calling to check on my forgotten lyrics?” Xu Tang asked with a smile.
“Who cares about your stupid lyrics? Do you know? Teng Yizheng is back!” He Xin’s voice sounded anxious and irritated.
Xu Tang suddenly felt something stuck in his throat and lost his appetite.
After a moment, he asked, “How do you know?”
“Yue Yan flew back from overseas and was on the same flight as him,” He Xin said.
“Oh…”
“So what do you mean ‘oh’? Where’s Zong Xuan? Is he at home?” He Xin asked.
Xu Tang went silent.
He already knew the answer.
He Xin immediately understood and said angrily, “I don’t even know what to say to you. You should divorce him early. It’s better for both of you. At a time like this he’s still running out—he’s practically inviting paparazzi. Does he even care about you? A forced melon will never be sweet!”
“Mm… I know,” Xu Tang said hoarsely. His throat and heart both felt sour—Teng Yizheng… Zong Xuan’s white moonlight, his cinnabar mark. And him? He was nothing.