When Xiao He first met Xu Youyou last year, she was still a very famous rising star in the entertainment circle. Although there were always controversial issues like the "Water Queen" nickname, with the support of Hao Entertainment, she could be considered someone who had enjoyed continuous success and smooth sailing in life.
However, at some unknown point, her path had veered off course, as if moving from one extreme to another.
Speaking of which, Xiao He felt their fates were quite similar in some ways—both facing similar criminal choices around the same time period.
The difference was that Xiao He had broken free and chosen a path he forged himself, while Xu Youyou, whether unable to struggle or willingly embracing corruption, had walked down the criminal path.
This didn't mean Xu Youyou had a criminal system like Xiao He's, constantly tempting her to commit crimes. Rather, the temptations in life were often more terrifying than any system, and even more unreasonable.
But in the end, it all came down to personal choices.
Xiao He shrugged and said meaningfully, "Perhaps for her, this is actually a relatively good outcome right now."
He didn't know if the reports from a few days ago had played any role in this incident, but Xiao He knew the matters they were involved in went far beyond this.
If Xu Youyou and the others had even a shred of conscience and were willing to turn back...
No, perhaps they couldn't turn back anymore.
From the moment they chose to do certain things, they were already destined to be unable to turn back.
And what awaited them ahead might be the hammer of justice falling from the sky—
...
Xu Youyou's incident caused quite a stir.
The next day was the crew's official start date. When Xiao He arrived on set, he could occasionally overhear staff members nearby discussing the hot search topics.
It couldn't be helped—they were all in the same circle, having collaborated with various people multiple times. When acquaintances got into trouble, there was plenty of gossip to share.
"Let me tell you, actually when Xu Youyou was with Su Shengxi, that President Chen was already pursuing her—"
Just as Xiao He was about to head to the back dressing room for makeup, he happened to hear this piece of gossip.
President Chen? Xu Youyou's current boyfriend?
His footsteps paused, and he lightened his steps.
"Thinking about it now, if Su Shengxi hadn't initiated the breakup with her and encountered that public opinion crisis, President Chen might not have had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation."
"Look at the current situation—tsk tsk, with things developing like this, Xu Youyou basically can forget about staying in the entertainment industry."
When such legal criminals appeared, the authorities definitely wouldn't tolerate it—they would certainly face bans.
Listening to their conversation, Xiao He felt quite surprised.
So that's how it was back then?
Xiao He had previously wondered how Su Shengxi could be completely unaware of Xu Youyou's affairs. When he had investigated the black material before, he hadn't found any connections between Su Shengxi and the people involved in Xu Youyou's matters.
Now it seemed Su Shengxi truly lived up to his reputation of being "cowardly" and "irresponsible"—he had escaped decisively and swiftly.
But on the flip side, he really got off easy. If he hadn't been so cowardly and run away quickly, he might have ended up like his ex-girlfriend, deeply mired in trouble and unable to extricate himself.
"But if you ask me, Xu Youyou was probably deceived too. That person pursuing her was likely just using her as a tool." The gossipmonger continued, "Otherwise, why would he be interested in Xu Youyou? There are plenty of beauties in Hong Kong—what kind hasn't he seen? Why would he like someone as bland as Xu Youyou?"
"You should know, every one of President Chen's previous girlfriends were stunning, glamorous beauties. If he were looking for someone, he should go for someone like Yi Man'er. Compared to his usual flowers, Xu Youyou isn't even in the same league."
"And look, Sister Sitong, on the current hot searches, isn't it mostly Xu Youyou's name appearing? Everyone's discussing Xu Youyou, while that person and his businesses are barely mentioned. Isn't this sacrificing the pawn to save the king? Xu Youyou is completely being used to take the heat."
Sister Sitong? Yuan Sitong?
Xiao He felt awkward about directly appearing, so he took out the small mirror he always carried and used it to peek around the corner. Sure enough, he saw Yuan Sitong and a tall, slender girl chatting by the distant pond.
However, they might have forgotten this was a Chinese corridor structure—the barrier by the pond was made of carved wooden lattice that was basically soundproof. Their conversation outside could be heard clearly inside the corridor, even with some echo.
So this teaches us: when gossiping behind someone's back, first, don't do it in the bathroom; second, don't do it outside; third, don't do it in unfamiliar environments.
Just look—now they've been overheard by Xiao He.
Xiao He observed the tall, slender girl who had been doing most of the talking, ran through names in his mind, and vaguely remembered who she was.
—She seemed to be called Zhang Xiaoyu, playing a very famous female celebrity in their first unit drama. Xiao He didn't have strong impressions of her, but he hadn't expected her to know so much gossip.
Looking at Zhang Xiaoyu's exaggerated schadenfreude and her carefully concealed flattery, Xiao He suddenly understood.
Probably Yuan Sitong didn't get along well with Xu Youyou either, so this Zhang Xiaoyu was trying to curry favor by deliberately sharing whatever gossip she knew with Yuan Sitong, hoping she would help promote her career in the future.
After figuring this out, Xiao He sighed softly with mixed feelings and shook his head slightly.
This kind of behavior was quite common—he had become immune to it during this period.
The only questionable thing was whether the gossip Zhang Xiaoyu had just shared with Yuan Sitong was fabricated to please her, or if it was genuine information obtained through certain channels.
Sure enough, after covering her mouth with a laugh, Yuan Sitong expressed the same doubt as Xiao He: "Where did you get this information? I've never heard any of this before—you're not making it up just to entertain me, are you?"
"How could that be?"
Zhang Xiaoyu immediately raised her voice but quickly lowered it again, "I'm not lying! I was in the same crew as Xu Youyou before, that 'Clear Light Like Dawn' drama. Her assistant is a friend of mine, and during our lunch breaks, she would complain to me about Xu Youyou."
"I swear, all of that is true—none of it is made up—"
Although Yuan Sitong remained skeptical, the corners of her mouth still turned up uncontrollably: "Alright, I'll reluctantly believe you. Anyway, as long as Xu Youyou meets misfortune, I'm happy."
The pool of rising female stars wasn't limited to just Xu Youyou and Yi Man'er—it's just that so far, Xiao He had frequently encountered only those two. As for Yuan Sitong, as the main rising star promoted by Yunheng Entertainment, her fans were equally formidable. However, she had so far remained in television dramas and hadn't accessed film resources yet.
This was also why Yuan Sitong was willing to take the female lead role in this drama—she hoped to connect with Director Zhuang through this television series and thereby access his film resources.
But obviously, their neglect and lack of seriousness toward the "Corner Also" crew had precisely stepped on Director Zhuang's sore spot.
As the saying goes, Yuan Sitong should really be grateful she ran a few steps faster that day and had been very "well-behaved" recently, arriving early for script readings every day. Otherwise, she would have truly been mercilessly kicked out by Zhuang Hongyi.
However, Xiao He felt these people were sometimes really quite foolish, not knowing what they were competing to prove all day long. Could they still be like back in school, thinking that deliberately defying teachers, intentionally arriving late and leaving early, and forming cliques to bully classmates were cool and impressive things to do?
They all clearly knew how exceptionally important Director Zhuang considered this drama, yet each harbored ulterior motives—hoping to use this opportunity to rise to the coveted film world while unwilling to perform well in "Corner Also." How could Director Zhuang possibly continue working with them?
They must be too accustomed to smooth sailing in life, thinking the world revolves around them.
Xiao He shrugged and quietly left the corridor.