Chapter 34: CH 32.2

Fatal strike

The night before.

After Xu Lan answered the phone, she immediately left, preparing to hurry over to Ren Qinming’s house to discuss things in detail. Before leaving, she also specifically and considerately mentioned the specific amount of time it would take for her to arrive.

She hoped that the pair would change clothes if they have to change clothes, change the bedding if they have to change the bedding, tidy up the room if they have to tidy up the room, and open up the windows to air out the apartment if they have to air out the apartment. All in all, she hoped they wouldn’t let her see things that she shouldn’t have to see, and smell things she shouldn’t have to smell.

One could say that shrewd and ruthless managers with great experience understood the younger generation too well.

Ruan Song also didn’t need to worry about too much, simply focusing on entering the bathroom to wash himself clean.

By the time he exited the bathroom, the rest of the apartment looked brand new, just as he expected. Ren Qinming stood at the foot of the wall with a face of one waiting for praise.

Ruan Song paused and stared at the other for two seconds, then said: “After you go in and wash up, I’ll allow you to kiss me once.”

Ren Qinming immediately couldn’t contain the smile that appeared on his face, then before Ruan Song could react, he quickly leaned over to kiss the side of Ruan Song’s face, then picked up the change of clothes he had prepared long ago, and firmly ducked into the bathroom.

After taking advantage of the situation, he ran away without paying any attention to Ruan Song, who was scolding him for being bold again.

They waited for Xu Lan to arrive in Ren Qinming’s large living room.

Ruan Song had just put on Ren Qinming’s spacious T-shirt and joggers, then comfortably laid on his stomach on the sofa while being massaged.

When Xu Lan saw this, she really felt that she was too anxious before.

These two were attached at the hip, stickily glued together every day. What did it matter if they were broken up or if they got back together, they could never blow their cover.

It’s very likely that even if she took a loudspeaker and announced in the broadcast that these two weren’t actually dating, no one would believe it at all.

Although Ruan Song has never been fond of surfing around on Weibo, he was influenced by the expert melon eater Chen Yan. He would often hear the other mutter about things, and had an approximate idea as to the comments on the internet.

For example, whenever you were preparing to have a cat fight, you first had to clarify a point of view: it wasn’t that the right side would necessarily win, because there were no perfect victims in the world.

There was only one person who stood out to make explosive allegations, but there are tens of thousands of pairs of eyes watching you, and their ways of thinking are even more strange. There is no such plan that allows for assumptions or charging around violently and impertinently, where the risk is extremely high.

Only Chen Yan raised questions that he found extremely difficult to answer.

[“If you had evidence, why didn’t you directly expose it all at that time, instead of waiting until now? Was it because of guilt? Or did you have some other ulterior motive?”]

[“You only exposed it after becoming popular. Then can we reasonably assume that you and Ren Qinming appeared on the variety show with the goal of purposefully promoting yourselves?”]

[“In fact, you just wanted to gain a firm foothold in the screenwriting industry by using this matter. You participated on the variety show and promoted your CP all because you wanted a better chance of harvesting leeks to raise money, then misappropriating the funds1?”]

[“Are you and Ren Qinming really dating? It can’t be that one of you just wanted to become popular, while the other wanted to calm the explosive allegations that the paparazzi made and try to achieve a transformation, so you both cooperated in acting out a show?”]

All the questions above were ones that Ruan Song was incapable of explaining clearly in only a few words. And even if he were able to explain it clearly, everyone wouldn’t necessarily believe it.

“Also, it is quite unwise to expose them directly. I would usually choose the following option.” After hearing the entire story, Xu Lan quickly reminded them of the risks, “Because now the entertainment industry is filled with melon eaters. Everyone no longer blindly seeks after who’s right and who’s wrong. Instead, a very popular and more well received concept has emerged, ‘a complete villain’.”

This is what Xu Lan, as someone who retired for several years, has individually observed and felt was the biggest change in trends in the entertainment industry.

On one hand, everyone wouldn’t be like they were in the past, easily brainwashed by public relations into following their rhythm.

On the other hand, as long as one masters the algorithm, they can cause mischief. As long as both parties place the blame on each other, continuously reversing the story, then the situation will grow viral. So regardless if Ruan Song has done nothing wrong in the matter, there will be people who will want to find fault with him by any possible means. This is determined by the pursuit of profit in capitalism.

“Rather than listening to your words, the audience is more willing to believe in things they see with their own eyes.” Xu Lan thus raised this point.

At that time, Ruan Song pondered for a moment, then asked: “Can I understand this with the same principles as me writing a script? Compared to directly using an actors’ lines or using a narrator to tell the audience that A likes B, it’s better to design a hundred events and actions that can reflect the love that A has for B, and have ‘love’ be naturally projected into the audience’s view.”

This was the most comfortable part about chatting with an intelligent person.

Xu Lan felt that his interpretation was quite interesting: “It’s more or less the same. Moreover, this kind of ambiguity relies simply on everyone’s reading comprehension, is more flexible, and the direction of public opinion can be observed, which can guide the decision of our next step. It isn’t passive.”

So that night, the three of them, with one sheet of paper and a pen, directly finalized plans 1, 2, 3, and 4.

Ren Qinming’s debut for so many years has not been in vain. Although he is usually silent, he actually knows the psychology of his fans like the palm of his hand. He simulated his fans’ reactions to Ruan Song and Xu Lan’s proposal several times, provoking the both of them to laugh out loud.

Ruan Song had an even more unwavering grasp on the character design of the two pivotal characters, Yuan Yinhai and Fang Wei.

From Fang Wei’s distaste for him since university; to now, where Yuan Yinhai was definitely afraid of the situation growing bigger and wanting to stop him, and being misunderstood as having a greater bias for Ruan Song; then to the phone call from Gu Yuzhou in the ward that gave the last blow, causing everything to collapse in an explosion.

It was a gradual process built layer upon layer. Everything was planned for in Ruan Song’s script.

As for Yuan Yinhai.

He was originally just a flawed shell of a workaholic that couldn’t stand being examined. His screenwriting studio produced too many types of scripts every year, and if he couldn’t find a unifying theme, then it would be enough of a loss.

As long as Fang Wei raised the accusation of ‘plagiarism’ in the hospital word, then the follow up situation would settle.

“Also, although he stabbed you in the back and Yuan Yinhai is in the wrong, if you appear openly overbearing and aggressive, then everyone in the screenwriting industry might find it difficult to accept you, and will be a bit apprehensive towards you.”

Jiang Zhi sat in the car and laughingly added: “Humanity is more likely to sympathize and pity the weak, so the gentle and mild way you acted just now was very good. In the end, when everything becomes clear and everyone discovers how miserably you’ve been suppressed, they will definitely have no reservations, and might even double the respect that they once had for Yuan Yinhai, and shift it onto you.”

After all, quite a few universally loved scripts were written by Ruan Song, and it would be equivalent to taking over all of Yuan Yinhai’s resources, connections, and total authority.

Sun Kaizi was also addicted to drama today. He comfortably said goodbye to Ruan Song, then pulled aside the door to his teacher’s car: “Aiyah, our big brother Song is also on the come up, not bad, not bad. As expected, amazing people will do something amazing sooner or later.”

His manner of speaking didn’t seem like a solemn literature student at all.

…

Aside from the ‘complete villain’, the second big change that Xu Lan told Ruan Song about was to not underestimate the netizen’s abilities.

In the past, netizens attached most importance to what they heard, but nowadays, netizens attached most importance to verification.

Ever since Yuan Yinhai heard Ruan Song say ‘I thought you told Fang Wei the truth’ to him that day in the hospital ward, he has always lived in constant fear.

He knew that he was definitely done for.

But it was as if Ruan Song was intentionally torturing him. That day, after he sent everyone out of the hospital room, the other didn’t say anything to him at all, and didn’t even so much as glance at him. The other casually helped tucked him in under the blankets, then left.

Then the other didn’t appear until that evening, just before he slept.

Although Yuan Yinhai’s stroke didn’t result in hemiplegia, getting off the bed still required a lot of effort.

No one was there to accompany him in the hospital ward, so he could only wear the heavy medical device all alone while staring up at the ceiling with his eyes wide open, and his mind was entirely filled with endless nonsense.

For example, could it be that Ruan Song was now ignoring him when in fact, the other had already exposed him on the internet?

Or would Feng Xiao use this time when he was ill to seek help from Ruan Song?

Or did Fang Wei finally wake up to reality, and realize that Ruan Song didn’t plagiarize at all, instead, that year, after knowing the outline of Ruan Song’s creation, he intentionally guided Fang Wei into creating a story that was about the same, using this as a pretext to further suppress Ruan Song……

It was as if there was a double edged sword hanging above his head that could behead him at any moment, and Yuan Yinhai had no way of knowing how far along his ‘character design collapse’ was.

That kind of unknown despair and fear made it hard for him to sleep all night, and that night he kept repeating the nightmare that began with Ruan Song holding a cake while suddenly appearing in his classroom.

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[“Long time no see, I trust you’ve been well since we’ve last met”]

[“Happy birthday, dean Yuan”]

[“You’re teaching while also managing your screenwriting studio, and your body can’t bear it”]

……

Until he finally heard a different sentence by his ear: “Teacher, you can’t just stay up all night.”

Yuan Yinhai suddenly ‘woke up with a start.’

He discovered that the door to the room was tightly shut. With his arms crossed, Ruan Song stood in the hospital room with the lights turned off, haughtily looking down while asking: “Could it be that you often can’t sleep at night? I would have thought that the hearts of people like you are different from normal people like us. After messing around for so long you will still feel guilty, and will still feel afraid.”

Only then did Yuan Yinhai realize that his back was already covered in cold sweat. His hospital gown was glued to his body, and Ruan Song stared attentively at him. It was as if his entire body was immersed in a pool of sorrow, and for a moment he couldn’t find the strength to push out through his thin gown.

Then, as if he could no longer bear it, he imploringly shouted: “……If you want to retaliate, just do it straightforwardly, there’s no need to drag it on.”

Ruan Song immediately denied it: “How could this be dragging it out. I’m also doing it out of consideration for your body. What if you can’t wait to take your last breath before your family returns from overseas. I can’t take on that sort of responsibility.”

After two seconds, Ruan Song added: “I should also have you take your last breath in front of your family members, and face their questioning before you go.”

Even the most ruthless and malevolent person has a weak spot.

For Yuan Yinhai, it was his relatives, especially his daughter, who worshiped her father and could follow his beloved cause for all her life.

As expected, Yuan Yinhai’s entire body began to tremble, a pair of hands, shriveled up as if they were tree branches, reached out from under the blanket, and grasped the guard rails of the hospital bed, slowly but firmly shaking, as if expressing his resentment and indignation.

Ruan Song simply looked at the man, and mocked: “I’ve never been someone who likes bullying others. You brought me into the profession and taught me everything. I’ve paid you back in full when I ghost-wrote for you. You can take advantage of the silence in the hospital tonight, when there is no producer asking you for a script, and figure out who, aside from me, wants to take advantage of this moment when you are sick to come out and expose you.”

The numbers on the medical equipment jumped steadily, yet Yuan Yinhai laid on the bed, and entered a hopeless situation.

Before Ruan Song left, he stood at the doorway and kindly told the other: “Also, your family has already contacted your daughter. If there are no accidents, they’ll arrive the day after tomorrow. There won’t be any problems in making it in time to watch your show.”

…

For Yuan Yinhai, the next day dragged on like a year, and it was as if he had already reached the last day of his life. His reputation hitting rock bottom was the end of his life.

Meanwhile on this last day, Ruan Song appeared three times in total.

This first time was in the morning, when the other informed him that netizens had already begun to classify the different styles of works that his screenwriting studio produced from different time periods, starting from Fang Wei.

The second time was in the afternoon, when the other informed him that the netizens’ sleuthing capabilities were much more powerful than they had predicted, and the netizens had already begun to research why the students in the studio continuously changed, yet the person who finally signed the script was always only him.

The third time was deep in the night.

Ruan Song once again visited Yuan Yinhai, who was awaiting the sunrise with dry eyes. He dragged a nearby chair beside the bed, then leisurely peeled an apple while saying: “Perhaps you don’t know, but actually, when I was ghost-writing for you, I worked very hard, especially for the ‘The Last Sunflower’. I basically spilled my blood, sweat, and tears, and emptied my heart out for it. Since the year I wrote that script, there probably have been a lot of producers looking for you to write a similar screenplay, right?”

Yuan Yinhai appeared withered. His taut face finally changed in that moment, and he incredulously looked over at the other: “……You did that on purpose?”

Ruan Song pulled out a napkin, wiped his hands clean, then smiled: “I heard from Xiaoxiao that your mental state has worsened over the past one to two years, your temper has grown more and more explosive, and your requirements for her have gotten more and more rigorous?”

“You actually did it on purpose…… You actually did it on purpose!” In the beginning, Yuan Yinhai sounded like a broken record, then later, his chest undulated vigorously, and finally, he couldn’t help but grow excited, “Ruan Song, you ungrateful bastard, you actually did it on purpose!!”

The serenely cold moonlight shone down through the window frame.

Ruan Song crossed his legs, leaned against the back of his chair, calmly enjoying the moonlight as it outlined a crown for him, inlaid with a dense outline of silver: “Is ingratitude that serious? After all, if you didn’t ruthlessly take my things, where would I have the opportunity to be ungrateful?”

Yuan Yinhai has been struggling in this hospital bed since this entire matter began. Even when he heard that his daughter was coming back, he was still able to persevere.

But now, Ruan Song abruptly caused the thing he’s been fearing the most these past few years, and the corner of Yuan Yinhai’s eyes finally grew wet.

He had once naively believed that Ruan Song was just a chess piece that didn’t matter, one that he could discard after being used.

But when he really tossed Ruan Song aside, he realized that he grew used to using ‘geniuses’, and got used to hearing about the fame that ‘geniuses’ gave him. Yet he was incapable of finding another genius to continue on……

The kind of look in the eyes of the producers when they heard that he could not reproduce another legend, the kind of comments he received in which the reviewer was surprised to see that the script was not as good as before, and the kind of comments that the audience had, in which they came with expectations and left disappointed after the work was broadcast.

All of it weighed on his heart, and the pressure grew heavier and heavier, to the point where he tossed around in bed for countless sleepless nights because he’d ‘exhausted his talents’.

It was as if Ruan Song served him a bottle of slow-acting poison.

When it first entered his mouth it was very sweet, but later it became bitter and hard to swallow. By the time he finally realized that he was infected, it had already passed through his intestines and caused his guts to decompose, leaving his body in shambles.

Meanwhile the murderer raised his chin, looking down from above as he delivered his judgement: “Even if I didn’t attack you today, you also probably couldn’t maintain it any longer.”

…

The next morning.

Yuan Yinhai’s daughter, his son-in-law, grandson, and a number of other family members hurried off the plane, and appeared in the hospital ward at City A’s First Hospital.

Meanwhile on the internet, as if ready to start a fight, several people pulled aside the curtain to watch a show.

An account with the Weibo ID of ‘The 13th Student of Yuan Yinhai’s Screenwriting Studio’ suddenly emerged with a statement.

[@The 13th Student of Yuan Yinhai’s Screenwriting Studio: I couldn’t find the contact information of a lot of senior sisters and brothers, but I believe that everyone who has undergone his slavery has kept intact evidence in their hands. In the past, I didn’t dare say anything as I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to receive the scholarship, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to graduate, afraid that I wouldn’t be able to move forward in the industry that I adore, but if I don’t speak up today, I’m afraid that if I miss this opportunity, then I can’t wait for everyone’s attention this time. I hope that the hypocrite will get his due punishment!]

This 13th senior student was one that Ruan Song was able to contact through Feng Xiao, who also kept a set of complete evidence.

From him sending the message, to Feng Xiao forwarding it, then being sent to Ruan Song to explain, all of it had been planned in advance. But the following development of the matter quickly exceeded their expectations.

In a short period of time, four other victims had unexpectedly appeared to forward the message.

They came from different graduating years, different regions, and were even in different industries now. In addition, each person had evidence that couldn’t be more irrefutable.

It was as if everyone was tacitly waiting for such an opportunity to appear with great expectation.

The large-scale academic fraud of a celebrity quickly exploded on Weibo, and the tag [Yuan Yinhai’s academic fraud] was undoubtedly on the top of the hot search list.

Everyone who had once had contact with Yuan Yinhai himself, who used to think the netizens were being overly suspicious just two days ago, felt their mentality explode entirely.

Meanwhile, the statement of apology issued by Ruan Song immediately after, gave the final and most fatal blow to Yuan Yinhai’s image as a respected leader that had been carefully maintained for many years.

He used Ren Qinming’s Weibo to issue the statement.

[@Ren Qinming: I am Ruan Song. I have been ashamed by the successful self-redemption of Dean Yuan Yinhai, and have once believed in his empty promise that ‘as long as you obey, there won’t be another victim.’ Until I met Fang Wei the day before yesterday, I was shocked that I was not the only one who was deceived. Not only are ‘The Last Sunflower’ and ‘Journey to Tomorrow’ my creative works, but Fang Wei’s ‘Top Doctor’ was also my own creative idea. Not only did Yuan Yinhai use ‘there won’t be another victim’ to threaten me and to take my creative works as his own, but he also misappropriated my ideas and gave them to Fang Wei. He even told the other party that I was the one that plagiarized his work. Such shameless and despicable methods have made me feel ashamed that I didn’t see through to his true identity earlier. Instead, I indulged in his academic fraud one step at a time. Therefore I sincerely apologize, and wish to say ‘I’m sorry’ to all the victims like me. Prayer hands.jpg]

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The author has something to say:

Song: No need to say anything else, Lan jie is amazing! Thanks to all the babies who have helped!

1. Harvesting leeks = financial slang for selling stocks, causing the stock market to plummet, then ushering in new opportunities by opening positions at low levels. In this term, ‘leek’ refers to investors who often lose money to more experienced investors. The question thus means: did RS participate in a variety show to hype up their CP by tricking less experienced people, then use this fame/popularity to become famous in another industry.

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