Over the next few days, online discussion about Wang Yan and her son kept spreading, but Xiao He's name gradually faded from the hot search list and things went low-key.
Because the parties involved in the incident refused mediation and rejected each other's compensation proposals, the matter ultimately had to be handled through litigation, with the court issuing a ruling.
Liu Rulan told Xiao He not to worry about it and that she would take care of things, so Xiao He really didn't get involved and kept busy with his own affairs and training.
During that time, Song Zhe's family even invited Xiao He and several of his roommates to another meal as a way to express their gratitude.
Later, after one training session ended, Xiao He received a private, earnest thank-you from Song Zhe.
It turned out that three years ago, Zhang Wanyue had been Song Zhe's fiancée. When Song Zhe had that accident, Zhang Wanyue stayed by his side steadfastly, caring for him. Even when Song Zhe wanted to leave the military and start a new life, Zhang Wanyue was the first to stand up and support him.
If it hadn't been for Zhang Wanyue, Song Zhe might really have had a hard time getting through that period.
So in Song Zhe's heart, his partner Zhang Wanyue and his daughter Ruan Ruan were the most important people in his life. He couldn't imagine if anything had happened to Ruan Ruan that day—how guilt-ridden his partner would be—and he couldn't forgive himself.
Xiao He ate a mouthful of metaphorical dog food and felt a rush of emotions.
Being able to do a good deed within one's capacity really clears the mind.
About a month later, Xiao He learned the case's follow-up from Liu Rulan.
The judgment had come down: Wang Yan and her family were fully at fault, and even the shop was not required to pay any compensation.
"The shop paid nothing at all?" Xiao He blurted, then remembered Song Zhe's special status and understood, "No wonder the judgment was so quick."
It seemed some mysterious influence had tipped the scales. Of course, the case itself wasn't really arguable: the shop had posted warnings and protective measures, so forcibly pursuing liability wouldn't have yielded much. The greater responsibility lay with Wang Yan, and with the mysterious backing, the verdict giving people a satisfying resolution was fitting.
"So what's the situation with Wang Yan and the others now?" Xiao He asked.
Since the Wang Yan mother-and-son incident had blown up online so fiercely, it likely affected their real lives as well.
"I'm not too sure about that," Liu Rulan recalled. "But it seems the mom discovered the family has an illegitimate son because of this incident and started making trouble with her relatives, trying to help her son seize power. That precious prince has been sent back to his hometown for now. I doubt their days ahead will be pleasant."
Xiao He: "Illegitimate son? Seizing power… Sister Liu, maybe stop watching palace drama so much?"
Liu Rulan half-heartedly covered her mouth: "Huh? Did I say what I was thinking out loud?"
Xiao He: "…What do you think?"
Liu Rulan shrugged: "Then how did you understand it?"
Xiao He: stare—
Liu Rulan smacked the top of his head, then immediately shifted topics with a serious expression: "Alright, let's talk about the next arrangements…"
Xiao He covered his head: "…"
Sister Liu, you've changed. You weren't like this before!!!
.....
The timeline returns to the present. One week later, Director Feng's new show's auditions finally began in earnest.
Just as Director Feng had hyped his comeback, the auditions were unusually lively—almost grand and ceremonious. The very first day alone shot up the hot searches. All the media and reporters moved at the rumor of it, following tips to stake out the audition site. Some clever influencers even set up live streams at the entrance to catch today's audition roster.
Director Feng had chosen the largest theater in Shanghai as the audition venue. In front of the theater was a small plaza with an open surrounding area—convenient for crowd gathering and making the arriving vans easily visible.
As van after van pulled up on the plaza, long lenses and cameras swung toward them and started snapping, capturing every action and expression as people got off the vehicles, unwilling to miss any opportunity for traffic.
The artists inside the cars stepped out with smiles, waving graciously to the crowd and then following their managers into the theater.
It looked like a small catwalk: the plaza had turned into their red carpet. The only difference was that most of today's artists wore casual clothes—very low-key. Some even wore masks and hats, looking like they were going out bare-faced, quite unlike the usual immaculate makeup and glamorous red-carpet outfits.
But nobody minded. Media and reporters quickly pushed the images online, drawing even more people to come watch and pay attention.
Today they were casting the male lead, with an age requirement between 30 and 45—right in the prime range for many top actors—so the actors present were mostly well-known names with notable works. Several were even past Best Actor winners. Many had cleared their schedules specifically for Director Feng's auditions, even pausing upcoming projects.
According to a concerned bystander's rough calculation, several productions had paused or delayed filming during this time just to wait for the audition results—otherwise, everyone in the domestic entertainment industry would be here and no one would be left for filming.
This showed how formidable Director Feng's drawing power was.
Online, the audition results became a major point of interest.
[LOL, other productions are paralyzed—I'll call today Domestic Entertainment's Black Wednesday.]
[Oh my god, this is the most assembled lineup of domestic Best Actors ever. He Jinnian and Hu Wen haven't spoken in five or six years, right? I never thought I'd see them in the same place in my lifetime—totally stunned.]
[Is no one mentioning Tong Junhui? Didn't he retire from the industry? He's back too!]
[Hahaha, everyone's back! Our domestic entertainment industry finally has hope!]
[Director Feng is awesome!]
[Um, is it only me who remembers more than everyone else? Why is the whole web so hyped…]
[That thing's still unsolved; the police never figured it out—some people should stop jumping to conclusions.]
[Huh? What's up with Director Feng?]
[For context, Director Feng previously quit the industry because his partner mysteriously disappeared at home. The police suspected Director Feng the most and interrogated him several times, but they never reached a conclusion, so the case remains unsolved. Director Feng bowed out under media pressure at the time.]
[Oh? Really? I thought Director Feng and his wife were very loving. Why would the police suspect him? That's absurd.]
[Let's not bring that up—it's too sensitive. I'm afraid of getting my account banned. Let's keep discussing who should be the lead for this film! We finally have our own zombie film; I'm so excited!]
[Count me in! If possible, I wish for Tong Junhui as the male lead—two heavy hitters together would explode the box office!]
[For the box office, I'd rather see He Jinnian! Tong Junhui retired; maybe he shouldn't come make a fuss…]
[Heh, starting to trash-talk already? Tong Junhui only retired, he didn't die. Our Tong fans still love him. Be careful what you say, junior fans.]