Fortunately, Nini never lied, she reassured her repeatedly, that she had always protected herself well.
After hanging up the phone, Song Wennuan felt drained, but she still had to wait for her sister-in-law's call, as if awaiting a judge's verdict.
It was unknown how long had passed, ten minutes? Twenty minutes? Half an hour? Regardless of how many minutes, for her it felt like an eternity. Finally, the phone that she held with her sweaty hands rang, her sister-in-law's sharp voice came through the receiver, "Song Wennuan, what the hell is going on! I entrusted Nini to you, and you treated her like this? I have already called your brother, you just wait! If you don't explain to me, I will never give up!" Her usually gentle and smiling sister-in-law was now angry, her voice was strained, with a few choked sobs hidden in the background.
It wasn't long after this call was hung up that her big brother's phone started to ring. He immediately questioned, "Song Wennuan, did I do something wrong to you? You dare treat my daughter like this? You lied to her to paint that kind of painting for Yuntian, do you even deserve to be a person? Huh? Do you have any sense of family in your heart? I tell you, from now on, don't even think about setting foot in my house again, don't expect Nini to call you aunt again!"
"It's not, big brother, listen to my explanation!" Song Wennuan shouted into the receiver urgently, but the call had already been hung up. She didn't need to ask, she knew that the painting her sister-in-law had produced was probably very ugly, ugly to the point of being unbearable. But it wasn't true, it was just Yuntian's imagination. She had been completely unaware...
Song Wennuan cried like never before, but she also gradually realized that Fānqiéláotōng was right. If Yuntian was guilty, then she, as an accomplice, was equally guilty. She had started to regret it!
How could there be someone as foolish as me in the world! Have I gone blind? Prideful? Undesirable to men? Song Wennuan raised her hand and slapped her face hard, and then again, until her gums bled, before she was stopped by Song Rui gripping her wrist.
The two of them were standing in the corridor, all the staff had already voluntarily avoided, not one of them had sneaked over out of curiosity or concern. When it came to a girl's reputation, not being involved, not inquiring, not asking too much, not publicizing, that was the biggest protection for Nini.
"Enough! We can deal with the family matters later, Yuntian is still inside, you go talk to him first." Song Rui remained quite calm even at this point.
Song Wennuan looked at him, resentful, "Cousin, you knew Yuntian had a problem, so why didn't you tell me!"
"Did I not tell you? How many times did I ask you to break up with him? Did you believe me? Did you listen to me? Song Wennuan, don't wait until something bad happens to shift the blame onto others, others don't have the obligation to teach you how to walk, you are already grown up." Song Rui pushed open the door behind her and motioned, "Go inside, Yuntian is waiting for you."
When Song Wennuan entered the recording room, all the staff had already left, leaving Fānqiéláotōng and Yuntian sitting face to face on two sofas, one calm, the other disheveled.
The black cloth was still covering Fānqiéláotōng's eyes, but whether he took it off or not, it had no effect on him, so it didn't matter to him; he could remain composed in any situation. Yuntian, on the other hand, was sweating profusely, his neat clothes now in disarray, the anxiety in his eyes almost palpable. When he saw his girlfriend, he immediately stood up and pleaded, "Nuan, can you cut that part of the video? Don't broadcast it, not just for my reputation, but also for your niece, you don't want her to become a target for slander, right?"
"Thinking of cutting the program and pretending like nothing ever happened, you're dreaming!" Song Wenhuan gritted her teeth and sneered, but she also knew that even if her big brother and sister-in-law came in person, they would agree to Yu Yuntian's proposal. Because his fame was just too big, the audience would be curious about his private life, then proceed to explore the truth of those words, to expose the identity of the ignorant lamb as mentioned by Fanggaro, to reveal those ugly crimes.
If this was a disaster for Yu Yuntian, then it would be a devastating blow for Nini. She was still too young to bear too much burden, and in the public's scrutiny and criticism, her unopened life would be completely destroyed. The things she had never experienced would become ugly and unbearable in the imagination of others, and then become an incurable trauma.
And this trauma, her aunt could have helped her erase it. As long as this segment of the program is cut, and a gag order is issued, Nini would be safe.
Thinking of this, Song Wenhuan's anger and regret were both covered by a deeper love for her niece. For the sake of her niece's future, she didn't want to swallow this blood, but she had to do so willingly. However, the problem was, she couldn't make the decision about this program, and Fanggaro also had the right to speak as a party involved. With his formidable ability, he would certainly be valued highly by his superiors, and even if Song Wenhuan used the Song family's influence to pressure him, it wouldn't work.
Moreover, was Fanggaro the kind of person to submit under pressure? Obviously not!
And all of the production staff were very clear- if this video were to appear on the internet, it would shake the entire society. This would undoubtedly be a disaster for Nini and Yu Yuntian, but for Fanggaro, the situation would be completely different. He would become famous, remembered, admired, and worshipped by everyone. He would become popular, and then gain wealth, fame, and power that ordinary people couldn't imagine.
He would use these unpredictable abilities to climb to the top of society, crush the Fang family that had once abandoned him, and quickly change his fallen destiny. He had a thousand and ten thousand reasons to reject Yu Yuntian's proposal, and no one could say he was wrong. He was just revealing the true face of a beast.
Even if today's debate were taken to the outside world for people to evaluate, how many bystanders would think that what the program team had done was right? This is tantamount to condoning crimes! And pedophilia is a scum that the whole society is eager to eradicate!
Fanggaro needed this opportunity too much. He could regain everything he had lost with just this analysis! Yu Yuntian was offering him the most stable and attention-grabbing stepping stone, and if he missed this chance, there wouldn't be a second one. What was the worth of a child's reputation? Could it compare to a glorious future?
With these thoughts in mind, Song Wenhuan couldn't help but look at Fanggaro, her eyes filled with pleading and a hint of helplessness. She found that she had no bargaining chips to persuade Fanggaro; Nini had nothing to do with him. His power was not to be feared; his connections would be much more than the Song family's, and he would be able to have far more. Why should he let the program team manipulate him? If Zhao Wenyi found out about this matter, he would have ways to release the original video.
Song Wenhuan desperately brewed words of plea, and when Yu Yuntian followed her gaze, he also realized that Fanggaro was the one who needed to be silenced the most. He immediately took out his checkbook and boldly spoke, "How much money does it take to settle this matter? Is five million enough? You are just a castoff of the Fang family, don't take yourself too seriously. My connections are beyond your imagination, believe me, one word from me and you'll disappear from the entertainment industry?"
The check was presented to Fanggaro, who, although unable to see it, had already turned away, covering his nose and showing a face of almost retching due to the stench.
"Do you believe that with just one phone call from me now, you will disappear before me? It seems there is more to your inner secrets?" With just a casual remark, Fanggaro made Yu Yuntian show a horrified expression. The check held at his fingertips fluttered like a falling leaf in the autumn wind, as if mocking him with its spicy irony.
Song Rui, on the other hand, indifferently turned away, covering his lips and smiling silently. When Fanggaro was quiet, he was truly quiet, and when he was furious, he was truly infuriating.
Hearing the confrontation between the two, Song Wenhuan had already realized that Fanggaro was not willing to compromise. Her heart, which had been suspended high, fell straight into the abyss, but the next moment, she heard Fanggaro say in a gentle voice, "Cut it, for the sake of the child."
What?
Song Wenhuan couldn't believe it but also looked at him extremely expectantly.
"Cut it, don't broadcast it. The future of the child is most important," Fanggaro repeated patiently.
Only then did Song Wenhuan mechanical nod repeatedly, her tears streaming down uncontrollably, partly due to the ugliness of human nature, and partly due to the beauty of human nature. There were many bad people in the world, but there also existed many good people, and here was one! She would be grateful to Fanggaro for the rest of her life, for his warning and for his timely letting go!
"Thank you, thank you! Teacher Fang, I am so grateful for you today!" Song Wenhuan wiped away her tears and sent a message to the group, asking everyone not to mention what happened just now, and to delete the recorded content.
No one raised any objections. No gimmick, ratings, or popularity could compete with a child.
Seeing that everything had been resolved satisfactorily, and not having to spend a penny of his own, Yu Yuntian finally smiled with satisfaction. While tidying up his wrinkled clothes, he stood up and declared like a victor, "Song Wenhuan, let's break up. From now on, let's go our separate ways and have nothing to do with each other. If you don't want to ruin Nini's life, you better be honest, and make him honest too. With the brush in my hand, if you take away one painting, I can still make thousands and thousands more."
"You're not human!" Song Wenhuan rushed up to him and tried to tear, but he pushed her away fiercely. Without Song Rui's help, Song Wenhuan couldn't gain even the slightest advantage from him.
The door of the recording room opened and then closed, and the person deliberately stepped heavily and loudly, as if to show off how safely he was walking out of there. As long as the genius painter's halo remained, as long as the Song family still cared about Song Beini's reputation, he could continue to do as he pleased.
Song Wenhuan was so angry that her whole body ached, but she had no way to deal with him.
The floor manager poked his head out from the door and asked softly, "Song Jie, if we cut that segment just now, our broadcast time won't be enough. What do you think we should do?"
"Just wait, I'll be right there. Let's have a small meeting. We need to cut not only that segment just now, but also the one before when I suspected Fanggaro cheated and changed the testing content." Saying this, Song Wenhuan looked at Fanggaro with shame and found that he was indifferent, as if all the changes and secrets were within his expectations.
They soon convened a hasty meeting with the whole crew. Meanwhile, the other participants were waiting in closed compartments, completely unaware of what had happened within the past hour.
Fanggaro still sat silently on the sofa, covered by a black cloth, showing no interest in being back in the limelight. He seemed to already be accustomed to the darkness, even more comfortable in the dark.
Song Rui sat across from him, speaking softly, "Fanggaro, I once made a profile of you."
Fanggaro slightly tilted his head, indicating for him to continue.
"I thought you were a practitioner without worldly desires, standing above the world, looking down on all living beings, seeing everyone as equals and dispensable. In some ways, we were similar."
Fanggaro listened quietly without expressing any opinion.
But Song Rui started to laugh softly, "But I found that my analysis of you was wrong from the beginning. You are not without worldly desires. On the contrary, it is precisely because your rationality and sensibility are stronger and deeper than anyone else's that you appear so quiet and calm. My approach tends to be confrontational with the world, while you reconcile with it. Your path is the path of all paths, the path of harmony, placing yourself in the dust, rather than on a mountain peak. I was so wrong!"
Song Rui laughed lightly, even though Fanggaro didn't respond, he was unable to disturb his pleasant mood at the moment. He didn't need a response, and he found that just observing this person could give him tranquility, which he always found himself deprived of amidst the world's vulgarity and folly. This world that bored and repelled him became more and more interesting because of Fanggaro's existence.
"I don't even know what kind of person I am, so how could you know?" Fanggaro propped up his chin, speaking calmly and unhurriedly.
"I'll gradually discover," Song Rui sighed softly but his voice was filled with satisfaction.
Between their conversation, the meeting on Song Wenhuan's side had already ended, and she decided that all the participants should undergo a personality assessment to avoid making Fanggaro stand out too much, and that Fanggaro should also undergo a hidden assessment, so the audience would think that the program team had originally arranged two test questions, not just to challenge Fanggaro intentionally.
"Okay, with this change, we have enough time and we have a highlight. Let's do it like this," Song Wenhuan dismissed the others, then sneaked into the rest area to touch up her makeup.
With red eyes, Yaya helped her apply concealer to hide all those swollen, embarrassed handprints on her face. However, she seemed to feel no pain, and said lightly, "Personal matters are personal matters, and business is business. If you ever go out on your own in the future, even if you encounter great difficulties in private, no matter how bad your mood is, once you enter the workplace, you must present your best possible state. Separation of personal and public life is the first principle of the workplace."
Yaya could only nod with a choked voice.
"Go ahead, film it, I'll cooperate with you, this is work."
Fang Gelo spoke to Song Wen warmly while keeping his eyes on her. Song Rui, noticing this, took out a notebook he had with him and silently wrote: "[He had spent a long time in the darkness, getting used to an environment where nothing could be seen.]"
Fang Gelo seemed to have sensed something, and turned his head to look at him, but he calmly raised the pen.
This silent conflict took place in an instant, and soon, Fang Gelo's attention was drawn to Song Wen.
"Teacher Fang, after a while, you go out first, then push the door in and pretend it's your first test. We will reverse the time sequence when editing. Do you think this is alright?" Song Wen, like a little girl, squatted beside Fang Gelo, looking timid and trying to please.
Song Rui, who knew how arrogant she used to be, couldn't help but curl his lips.
Fang Gelo's level of cooperation was high, so he followed her out without asking a single question, nor did he complain. While to others it seemed like a great injustice and insult, to him it was just a trivial incident. His performance made the entire production team feel ashamed.
Back in the observation room, Song Rui wrote in his notebook: "[He is mindless, as long as he doesn't cross his limit, he doesn't like to be nitpicky.]"
At the same time, Fang Gelo had slowly walked into the testing room and stood in front of four boxes.
Seeing his extremely handsome face on the big screen, Song Rui quickly put away his notebook and aimed at the microphone, saying, "Fang Gelo, please sense the four boxes in front of you and tell us which one has signs of life."
This was a misleading question; most people would think that only one of the four boxes definitely had signs of life, and they would inevitably be affected during their sensing, becoming very uncertain.
However, after hearing this, the always mischievous Song Wen fiercely glared at her cousin. As if she had thought of something, she covered the earpiece and whispered almost inaudibly, "Cousin, you're wrong. Let Fang Gelo assess Yu Yuntian's character. I have no regrets. On the contrary, I am very grateful. Really, I am very grateful for this arrangement from the heavens."
"As long as you have no regrets," Song Rui, for some reason, reached out and lightly patted her head.
This rare intimacy and gentleness instantly turned Song Wen's eyes red. Who says my cousin has no heart, who says that? My cousin can be caring, like a real older brother caring for his younger sister! When she got back, she would correct this ridiculous statement to her parents!
But the next moment, Song Rui took out a piece of disinfectant tissue and thoroughly wiped his palm.
Song Wen:...