Chapter 140: The Video That Finally Appeared

Su Zitong, who had previously believed her future would be shrouded in pitch-black darkness, finally laid down the heaviest burden in her heart and broke into a smile that had not been seen for two weeks.

Knowing she still had many things to handle, Lin Qihua and the others did not linger. Aside from Shen Manni, who stayed behind to accompany her in collecting her luggage and returning to Galaxy Entertainment, the rest departed.

Sister Hong also left. Upon seeing the look in President Kuang’s eyes, she knew her career was finished, and she had no heart to stay any longer.

Several of Su Zitong's fellow band members remained at the scene. They were a newly debuted girl group formed by Rainbow Entertainment that year, holding onto the dream of becoming major stars and striving forward every day. Never did they expect that an unprovoked disaster would plunge the group into such a difficult predicament. Now, Su Zitong was even leaving the group to develop at another company, leaving their emotions naturally complex and rendering them temporarily speechless.

"Tongtong, you really fooled us good," said the eldest member standing in the middle, speaking up first. "We hope you don't hold a grudge against us. We were helpless under the circumstances, so please forgive us."

"I don't blame anyone," Su Zitong shook her head, looking at her teammates and sisters with complex eyes. "It is I who let you all down, dragging you into this awful mess and hindering your development. I know you helped me out a lot behind the scenes; otherwise, the pressure I bore would not have come from Sister Hong alone."

The others felt a sense of relief. None of them wanted Su Zitong to part ways with resentment, especially after spending so much time together as a group; the bonds between them were still genuine.

"Perhaps you were right all along," another girl said with a hint of envy. "You held your ground and secured the best possible ending. I believe Galaxy Entertainment won't let you down—especially Lin Qihua, who is a renowned talent. All it takes is one song written by him for you to rise to second-tier status."

"I have never harbored such extravagant expectations," Su Zitong replied calmly. "Rainbow Entertainment nurtured me, and I am deeply grateful. Galaxy Entertainment allows me to continue working as a singer, and I have no way to repay them other than practicing frantically and doing my absolute best. I don't want to beg for special attention or songs; thinking too much only leads to getting lost."

"Indeed, that is why you are worthy of our emulation," the eldest member laughed bitterly. "I always thought I was the most level-headed one, but it turns out, Tongtong, you are the most clear-headed of us all. I hope everything goes smoothly for you at Galaxy Entertainment. Perhaps the next time we meet, we will have to look up to you."

"Don't say that. We are sisters and good friends. I also hope you all grow into a top-tier group in the future. Everyone here has immense talent; what you lack is merely time and a little bit of luck. Keep pushing forward, and you will surely succeed."

"You too, you must succeed!" The other girls bade her farewell and offered words of encouragement one after another.

"Alright, goodbye," Su Zitong said her farewells to them, then turned to Shen Manni, who was waiting nearby. "Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go."

"Just call me Sister Manni," Shen Manni said casually. "I really admire your personality—you are ruthless enough to yourself and sufficiently calm. At the same time, I am very grateful for your help toward Lin Qihua. To put it simply, from now on, your matters are my matters. Whenever you need anything, just come to me."

"Understood," Su Zitong smiled slightly. "Please guide me well, Sister Manni."

Accompanied by Shen Manni, Su Zitong returned to her dormitory at Rainbow Entertainment to gather her belongings, and by the time they returned to Galaxy Entertainment, it was already late into the night.

To her surprise, the ground floor of Galaxy Entertainment was packed with people. Led by Yu Fengqin, He Li, Lian Yuling, and Lin Qihua, virtually the entire staff of Galaxy Entertainment was present. Lei Jing, Xiao Xiao, and the members of "Venus" had all arrived, solely to welcome Su Zitong.

Seeing Su Zitong step out of the car, the crowd erupted into warm applause.

Yu Fengqin stepped forward to give her a hug. "Welcome to Galaxy Entertainment. From this moment on, this place is your home."

"Welcome home," the crowd shouted in unison. Everyone genuinely adored this young girl.

"Oh." Su Zitong, who had always appeared so strong, finally broke down emotionally at this moment, burying her face in Yu Fengqin's shoulder and weeping bitterly.

"Don't cry, don't cry, everything is fine now," Yu Fengqin patted her back with tender heartache, offering words of comfort.

Perhaps because her recent suppression had been far too intense, once her emotions broke down, Su Zitong sobbed breathlessly, completely unable to stop. The others stood quietly watching her wail, all sharing a deep sense of empathy. Remembering the pressure of the past two weeks, many felt their eye sockets stinging with warmth.

"It's good that we made it through," Chang Yan choked out, leaning against He Yanlin.

"Mm-hmm, we made it through. The skies have cleared," He Yanlin comforted her.

"They haven't cleared entirely yet," Li Zixuan adjusted her glasses, her gaze turning frosty. "There are still many things to do and many people to settle accounts with."

"Exactly, it's not like they can bully us and expect us not to fight back," Chang Yan waved her fist, saying with bitter resentment.

"It will be difficult," He Yanlin analyzed calmly. "The people behind the scenes—you know who they are. Let's wait and see for now."

After crying for a long time, Su Zitong finally vented the pent-up emotions in her heart. Accompanied by Shen Manni, she went to her dormitory to rest. After tomorrow, she would welcome a brand new day, a brand new life, and a brand new performing career.

The livestream from that night had just begun to ferment. Su Zitong had revealed far too much; first and foremost, the heavy burden weighing upon Lin Qihua was finally completely washed clean, proving that Tang Zhijie's accusations were utterly groundless.

So, who was that major star? Was it Tang Zhijie? Why did the media unanimously lean toward supporting him?

Too many questions left those following the matter utterly baffled.

Due to the late hour, the situation was still brewing, but everyone knew that the real storm would arrive the following day.

The next day, at ten in the morning, a video quietly appeared across major trending websites.

The video, titled *The Truth Behind the Su Zitong Incident*, accumulated over a million views the moment it appeared, with the count rapidly climbing.

Upon clicking play, the opening scene revealed the banquet hall of a cocktail party hosted by Evergreen Entertainment, bustling with people and brimming with activity.

This appeared to be a video edited from footage captured by a camera installed in a corner, as Lin Qihua could be seen within the frame holding a cup of water rather than a wine glass, leisurely enjoying the scenery outside the terrace.

Around the ten-second mark, Su Zitong appeared on screen, looking flustered as she collided with the unsuspecting Lin Qihua.

Although Lin Qihua also reached out to steady her, there was zero physical contact between the two parties, because immediately afterward, Tang Zhijie and his companions stepped into view.

Every subsequent event and piece of dialogue flawlessly and vividly reconstructed the scene of that fateful night. Who was lying and who was innocent was laid bare beyond a doubt within such video footage.

Public opinion exploded in uproar. Weren't they told there was no video? Then where had this video come from? Attentive netizens had already analyzed that this was authentic footage without the slightest trace of editing or Photoshop.

"Now I finally know who that major star was. A thief crying 'stop thief,' what a masterclass in reversing right and wrong," a netizen indignantly remarked.

"Heh, a first-tier star stooping to such actions. Shameless and utterly base."

"No wonder he couldn't produce any evidence when accusing Lin Qihua. It wasn't that he couldn't produce it, but rather that the evidence was completely unfavorable to him! A thief crying 'stop thief'—truly shameless."

"A liar, a huge liar! He deceived everyone's emotions, making us believe his lies and channel all our rage onto Lin Qihua, causing him such immense harm. Yet, the truth turned out to be this. Tang Zhijie, you massive fraud!"

This time, with both witnesses and physical evidence present, the truth came to light. Netizens were beyond furious, launching wave after wave of denunciations against Tang Zhijie, along with accomplices like Starlight Entertainment and Liu Feng. Media outlets such as Red Bean Entertainment News did not escape either. As entertainment media, they had a responsibility to deliver the truth to the public; instead of doing so, they had aggressively guided everyone toward criticizing Lin Qihua and attempted to drive him out of the entertainment industry. Had they truly succeeded in their objective, everyone would have been an accomplice when the truth finally emerged. Thinking of this, the public's fury burned even hotter.

Countless netizens flooded the social platforms of these media outlets, companies, and individuals, venting their rage and declaring their boycotts.

The uproar was deafening. It could be said that all the associated media and personnel had completely disgraced themselves. Not only did they lose all face, but more importantly, their reputations were thoroughly ruined. Even if nothing drastic could be done to them legally, one could easily imagine what their future would look like.

"Damn it!" Tang Zhijie slammed his wine glass viciously onto the table. "Didn't they say nobody could get ahold of that video? It was a matter personally handled by Sister Yan—how could the hotel dare to do this?"

"Could they have released it to clear their own names?" Lan Hai explained, "Putting it out at a time like this."

"Hmph, impossible. It must have been someone else. Don't let me find out who," Tang Zhijie said viciously, his eyes bloodshot. He was now experiencing the exact feeling Lin Qihua had once endured. Countless fans were turning into anti-fans, launching frenzied attacks against him. Most importantly, the carefully maintained persona he had built up was ripped away from today onward, exposing his true colors, leaving him with no image to speak of. If things continued this way, the one driven out of the entertainment industry would be none of other than himself.

He frantically dialed Chen Yan's number, but it never connected. It was blatantly obvious that Chen Yan had decided to abandon him—cutting off her tail to survive. As the direct party involved, by throwing him out to take the blame, Chen Yan and Yuwen Hao could distance themselves completely. Even if others suspected them, so what? A minor incident like this could not shake Yuwen Hao's position.

Tang Zhijie slumped limply onto the sofa. Without Yuwen Hao's support and without the reputation he relied on for survival, what did he have left? With a stinking reputation, would anyone still come looking for him to film dramas or shoot commercials? Yes, this was the very foundation of the plan hatched by Tang Zhijie and his cohorts to drive Lin Qihua out of the industry: reputation and fans were an artist's roots. Unfortunately, he was now tasting the bitter fruit of his own actions.

On this day, Tang Zhijie, Liu Feng, Chen Jian, and the entertainment media experienced a biting, bone-chilling cold.