Whether it was because there simply hadn’t been any other major entertainment news recently that could suppress the exposure of Aya’s casting-couch scandal, or because Aya had offended too many people, or perhaps because too many people were jealous of her, one thing was certain—
The matter did not die down.
Instead, it continued to grow more intense.
No one knew where these people had obtained their information about Aya, but suddenly all kinds of scandals about her were exposed.
Being someone’s mistress.
Taking the initiative to ask for casting favors.
Paying internet trolls to attack other celebrities.
Paying internet trolls and media outlets to hype herself up.
…
Every single incident came with solid evidence.
There was practically no way to argue against it.
Aya’s side also hired internet users to try to shift the topic or calm the public backlash, but none of it worked.
The evidence was simply too strong.
Trying to clear her name was almost impossible.
And just as the controversy continued to escalate, another Weibo post suddenly shot onto the trending list—
Aya became involved with her own boss’s wife. Today, the boss’s wife came to confront her.
In the video below, a woman around forty years old with a slightly plump figure could clearly be seen trying to grab and pull Aya’s hair.
Although the footage was chaotic, pausing at certain moments still clearly showed Aya’s face, already reddened from being hit, and her eyes filled with tears.
This woman was most likely Aya’s boss’s wife.
Regarding a wife confronting a mistress, people had different opinions.
Some believed that a mistress deserved it and being beaten was only fair.
Others argued that hitting the mistress was meaningless.
After all, the man was the one who had failed to control himself.
If the wife had the courage, she should go home and deal with her husband instead of taking her anger out on another woman.
Even if that woman disappeared, there would always be another one.
As for Aya, no one sympathized with her.
Whether a mistress deserved to be hit was one matter.
Whether someone chose to become a mistress was another.
Knowing someone was married and still deliberately pursuing that relationship was something society would naturally condemn.
After watching the drama unfold for several days, Xu Tang also felt it had become rather boring.
Aya probably wouldn’t be able to recover from this.
Some methods might have worked before without consequences, but that didn’t mean they were right.
Nor did it mean no one could deal with those methods.
If she wasn’t careful, she might end up destroying herself.
Before long, the day arrived for Xu Tang to record He Xin’s program.
He Xin hosted several shows.
The one Xu Tang was participating in today was called Xin Qing, a pure interview program.
There would still be an audience below the stage, but compared with the previous show After Love, the audience size was smaller and the atmosphere was warmer.
Accompanied by He Xin’s introduction, Xu Tang walked onto the stage and greeted the fans.
The studio had been decorated to look like a traditional teahouse, complete with tea and pastries placed on the table.
“What is this situation?” Xu Tang asked with a smile as he looked at the food.
“Isn’t it because I don’t have anything to talk about with you, so I prepared snacks to fill the time?” He Xin joked.
The fans below laughed.
Xu Tang also smiled.
“I think so too. Coming onto your show is actually strange. You already know everything about me. There’s nothing left for you to ask.”
“Can’t help it. Who told you to be famous? I had to invite you.”
He Xin shrugged, then pulled Xu Tang into his seat.
“Actually, we can talk about things I don’t know.”
After sitting down, Xu Tang looked at the professional-looking tea set in front of him.
“What don’t you know?”
“For example, things about you and Zong Xuan.”
He Xin answered directly.
The fans seemed to have been waiting for exactly this topic and immediately cheered.
“The things about me and Zong Xuan that can be said, I’ve already told you. The things that can’t be said, I won’t say now either.”
Xu Tang laughed and pointed at the tea set.
“Do you know how to use this?”
“No.”
He Xin immediately admitted.
“We’ll just brew it casually. This tea set is mostly here as decoration anyway.”
As he spoke, he directly picked up the teapot and began making tea.
Xu Tang watched his movements.
“You really are honest and don’t pretend.”
Neither he nor He Xin belonged to the type of people who appreciated fine tea.
They didn’t drink tea often either, usually only when accompanying elders.
After brewing the tea, He Xin poured two cups.
Then he asked,
“How are you and Zong Xuan recently?”
His tone didn’t sound like he was hosting a program at all.
It sounded like two friends casually chatting in private.
“Pretty good.”
Xu Tang took a sip.
He didn’t know what kind of tea it was, but it was genuinely fragrant. It made him feel relaxed and comfortable.
“After living together for so long, haven’t you started noticing each other’s flaws more?”
“Do you have this problem?”
“A little.”
He Xin smiled.
“For example, recently I dislike him going out for social gatherings more and more. Although he knows his limits when drinking, he still comes home late.”
“Sometimes I’m so tired I can barely stay awake, but I still have to wait for him because I can’t feel at ease otherwise.”
“And drinking is ultimately bad for his health. But telling him is useless. That’s just part of his job.”
Normally, hosts guided guests to speak.
But now He Xin was talking, and Xu Tang was listening.
It really felt like two friends meeting privately.
Even the audience below remained unusually quiet, as if they didn’t want to disturb their conversation.
“There’s really nothing you can do about that. It’s all for work. As long as Brother Yue knows his limits, that’s already good.”
Xu Tang thought for a moment.
“Actually, if you keep focusing on a so-called ‘flaw,’ even something that wasn’t a serious problem at first can slowly become exaggerated.”
“Eventually, something that wasn’t even a flaw becomes a real flaw.”
“Actually, I occasionally have similar annoyances.”
“For example, when I’m writing songs, Zong Xuan insists on coming over to bother me. Or when I want to eat meat, he tells me I need to eat vegetables.”
“These are small things.”
“But if you keep holding onto them, eventually you might start thinking the other person is annoying, that they don’t understand you, or that they don’t respect your choices.”
“That’s not actually true.”
“He just wants to spend time with me, or he’s thinking about my health.”
“As for Brother Yue, he works so hard because he wants to provide you with a better life.”
“I understand all that,” He Xin said. “But sometimes when he comes home smelling like alcohol, I still get angry.”
“Of course I understand Yue Yan, but sometimes I can’t control my emotions.”
“Yeah, it’s really annoying. I understand.”
Xu Tang laughed.
“When I need quiet time and Zong Xuan comes over to talk to me, it’s not even really bothering me. He’s just telling me something.”
“But at that moment, I also really want to run away from home.”
“When we filmed The Shape of Love, the two of you were so affectionate. I never saw you dissatisfied.”
He Xin raised an eyebrow.
He mentioned Yue Yan on the show because he wanted Yue Yan to understand his worries after watching it.
Social gatherings weren’t the problem.
Drinking less was enough.
“What is there to be unhappy about when you’re traveling together?”
Xu Tang smiled.
“If I had to complain, I’d complain about the production team. They put so many cameras everywhere that even sleeping at night felt uncomfortable.”
“Hahaha. Even if you did something inappropriate, the production team would just edit it out.”
“They would edit it, but I still wouldn’t want people to see it. It’s too embarrassing.”
“Tsk. Love sometimes needs to be a little more wild. If you’re embarrassed, you’ll become passive.”
“If you stop caring completely, the production team becomes the one at a disadvantage.”
Xu Tang raised an eyebrow.
“You’ve made the production team passive before?”
“No.”
He Xin immediately waved his hands.
“Are we still friends? You’re actually trying to trap me.”
“You dug the hole yourself. I only pushed you in.”
Xu Tang finished his tea.
He Xin poured him another cup.
“All right, back to the topic.”
“What kind of relationship do you want most?”
Xu Tang thought for a moment.
“Something ordinary and peaceful.”
“Zong Xuan likes that kind too?”
“I don’t know.”
“But what I like, he probably likes too.”
“You’re that confident?”
“Anyway, for the sake of the show’s effect, even if you asked him, he would stand on my side.”
“Wow.”
He Xin laughed.
“Programs need people like you. Honest people who break through all those fake answers.”
Since He Xin’s program aired on television, there were limits to what could be discussed.
So even if He Xin wanted to ask certain things, he couldn’t.
After chatting about various topics, He Xin finally moved the conversation toward the movie.
“Didn’t you recently start preparing for a movie? How is it going?”
The audience below immediately gasped.
They hadn’t expected their little singing king to actually be making a movie!
“Pretty much ready. We can start filming next month.”
This topic had already been arranged beforehand.
It was also a chance to promote the upcoming movie.
“Everything really prepared?”
He Xin smiled.
“When I visit the set, don’t tell me I’ll just watch you fail take after take.”
“I’ll try not to let you see that.”
Xu Tang wasn’t being arrogant.
Who knew what filming would actually be like?
Maybe he would fail so badly that the director would want to replace him.
“Can you be a little more confident?”
He Xin patted him.
“You were personally guided by Best Actor Zong.”
“His guidance really helped me a lot.”
“But when he looks at me, he definitely has a filter.”
“When he praises me, I only believe half of it.”
Xu Tang smiled sweetly.
During this period, Zong Xuan had indeed been guiding him constantly.
They practiced scenes together, and Zong Xuan explained the script to him.
However, Zong Xuan never taught him the exact movements, expressions, or eye contact.
Because Zong Xuan wanted Xu Tang to portray the Ye Shao that existed in Xu Tang’s own heart.
Not the Ye Shao created by Zong Xuan.
That was extremely important.
But regarding the character’s psychology and emotional control, Zong Xuan explained everything carefully and required Xu Tang to take notes.
Every time they finished practicing a scene, Zong Xuan praised him.
Sometimes he praised Xu Tang’s improvement.
Sometimes he praised his understanding of the character.
In any case, he had never criticized him.
Not once.
So Xu Tang didn’t know whether he was truly performing well…
or whether Zong Xuan simply had lower standards for him.
“You should trust Best Actor Zong’s professional judgment.”
He Xin finished his tea.
“Yesterday, I actually got your costume photos.”
“They look really good. Let’s show everyone.”
Xu Tang was slightly surprised.
He had only received the photos yesterday himself.
But after thinking about it, it wasn’t strange.
The photos would naturally have been sent to Yue Yan.
And once Yue Yan saw them, He Xin would have seen them too.
The fans below became extremely excited.
They had only just learned Xu Tang was making a movie.
Now even the costume photos were being revealed.
How could they not look forward to it?
Under everyone’s anticipation, the costume photos appeared on the large screen.
The fans immediately screamed.
The photo showed Xu Tang and Zong Xuan together.
Xu Tang wore white robes, his hair tied into a ponytail with a small white jade crown.
He looked quiet and elegant, with an otherworldly, immortal-like feeling.
Zong Xuan was completely different.
His hair was fully tied up, decorated with a golden crown.
He wore dark robes embroidered with python patterns.
His expression was serious and cold.
He looked dangerous.
“You’re actually quite suitable for ancient costumes.”
He Xin commented.
Seeing the picture, he felt that Xu Tang looked very good with long hair.
Maybe someday he could even try a cross-dressing style.
Seeing how enthusiastic the fans were, Xu Tang smiled awkwardly.
“Zong Xuan also said it looked good.”
The program then showed several more photos.
The styles were different, but all received positive reactions from fans.
This made Xu Tang feel slightly relieved.
Judging from everyone’s response, his appearance was probably acceptable.
The episode aired the following week.
After it finished broadcasting, Xu Tang specially went online to check Weibo.
As expected, many people began discussing his ancient costume appearance.
Although Zong Xuan was also handsome, this wasn’t his first time wearing historical costumes, so the novelty was much greater for Xu Tang.
Xu Tang carefully read the comments.
The fans were all looking forward to it and praised his styling.
Only then did Xu Tang truly relax.
He also became filled with anticipation for joining the cast.
Meanwhile, Yue Yan also posted on Weibo, stating that from now on he would drink no more than one ounce of white liquor, and no more than half a cup of other alcoholic drinks.
Three days before entering the production team, Yuan Shang returned to work.
The moment he saw Xu Tang, he excitedly hugged him.
“Brother Xu, do you know how scared I was that you would replace me?”
Seeing that he had fully recovered, Xu Tang was happy too.
Smiling, he said,
“I’ve gotten used to having you around. For now, I don’t plan on changing assistants.”
During Yuan Shang’s absence, it had usually been Kang Duo or Xie Shaoqian accompanying him.
Yuan Shang laughed foolishly.
“I heard from Sister Kang that you’re going to film a movie?”
“That’s great.”
“You should have tried this long ago.”
“Yeah.”
Xu Tang nodded.
“Have you prepared your luggage?”
“Already prepared.”
Yuan Shang immediately answered.
He had already received notice from Kang Duo.
She knew he would be able to return to work around this time, so she had arranged the tickets in advance.
Xu Tang nodded.
“The first three months will be harder. We’ll need to go elsewhere for location filming.”
“After that, we’ll return to the film studio city, and things should be easier.”
“Don’t worry, Brother Xu.”
Yuan Shang clenched his fist.
“After resting for so long, I’m full of energy now!”
After lying in bed for so long, Yuan Shang had lost quite a bit of weight.
But his spirits were good.
Xu Tang took out a red envelope and smiled.
“Here. Congratulations on returning to work.”
Yuan Shang hurriedly waved his hands.
“Brother Xu, I can’t take this.”
“You’ve already taken such good care of me while I was injured.”
Zong Xuan happened to come downstairs and heard him.
Smiling faintly, he took the red envelope and directly stuffed it into Yuan Shang’s hand.
“I know your Brother Xu treats you well.”
“From now on, when he’s working, put in a little more effort and take better care of him.”
Naturally, Yuan Shang didn’t need to worry about Xu Tang’s daily life anymore.
Zong Xuan was enough for that.
Yuan Shang immediately stood straight like a soldier receiving orders.
“Brother-in-law, don’t worry!”
“I will definitely take good care of Brother Xu!”
Zong Xuan smiled in satisfaction and walked into the kitchen.
Xu Tang’s face turned red.
He glared at Yuan Shang.
Brother-in-law?!
What kind of title was that?!