Chapter Twenty-Nine: Why Is It You, Stubborn Old Man? (Third Update)

Just after attending an event, Liu Xin returned to his hotel room on the verge of madness. Everything had been perfectly fine, but suddenly, luck seemed to turn against him entirely—was this some kind of cosmic misfortune?

At the evening gala hosted by a fashion brand, Liu Xin was immediately besieged by reporters as soon as he appeared. Unlike the usual questions about his next album or upcoming concert, tonight every reporter was pressing him about the incident on the set of “The End of the Forbidden City.” They demanded explanations for rumors about him pushing over an elderly man, and relentlessly interrogated him about whether he would abandon his future performance plans because of it.

These persistent pests, like a swarm of flies, forced Liu Xin to violate his sponsorship contract and leave early without fulfilling his promotional obligations.

“Idiots! When I lie, they believe every word like fools. This time I’m telling the truth, I’m innocent, and yet no one believes me!” he shouted in frustration. “Why won’t anyone believe me?”

Crash!

In a fit of fury, Liu Xin flung his phone across the room, shattering the glass tabletop in the suite. His agent, watching his hysterical outburst, sighed deeply.

He fished a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and handed it over. Despite Liu Xin’s usual health-conscious public persona—he had even served as a tobacco-free ambassador last year—the agent wasn’t surprised to see the popular idol puffing away.

“This time, we’re in trouble. The video of you pushing that extra on set can’t reveal what happened inside the car; it was too late at night, and the nearby surveillance cameras weren’t equipped with night vision, so the footage is useless. You can’t prove that guy was setting you up.”

“So what, am I going to carry this stain forever? Let rivals and haters laugh at me for the rest of my life?” Liu Xin sprang up from the sofa, incensed by the agent’s words.

“Hey, calm down,” the agent said, laughing as he pressed Liu Xin’s shoulders and eased him back onto the sofa. “Why are you so worked up? You know how this industry works—every scandal rides a wave of attention. Who doesn’t have a blemish or two? It’s not like you’re caught in some unspeakable crime. This storm will blow over, we’ll push some positive PR, and you’ll be back to being the hottest young idol.”

Seeing Liu Xin’s breathing steady a little, the agent hurried to continue soothing him: “Don’t worry, the media won’t stay on this forever. Your fans are already mobilizing online, fighting to clear your name and show their support. My superstar, this is your unique advantage—look at the other young celebrities, who else commands such loyalty? You should be grateful! As for your haters, why bother with them? They don’t buy your albums or concert tickets anyway, right?”

Liu Xin nodded in agreement. Naturally—of his nearly ten million followers, aside from a few million bot accounts, the rest were die-hard fans!

With the agent’s reassurance, his mood improved considerably. After all, he still had so many devoted supporters.

Ring ring ring ring—

At that moment, the agent’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he raised his eyebrows and gestured to Liu Xin to stay calm. “It’s the president of the fan support group. Must be some good news—earlier I saw their chat group was abuzz, fans were attacking that extra’s social media. They’ve probably succeeded in dominating the page by now.”

He answered, putting the call on speaker: “Hello? Go ahead!”

“Bad news, boss! There’s chaos in the fan club. The vice president just defected—she’s now obsessed with Li Shixin. Rumors are swirling, and fans are leaving the group in droves!”

“What?!”

Hearing this, Liu Xin leapt from the sofa. But having been dieting lately, his blood pressure had been low; the sudden movement left him dizzy, and he collapsed to the floor.

“Hey! Liu Xin, Liu Xin? Are you alright?” The agent, face drained of color, dropped the phone and rushed to help him.

“Damn it! That old man is a menace, and the ‘End of the Forbidden City’ crew aren’t innocent either! I can’t take this injustice. Call Director Zhao and tell her everything. If she won’t back me up this time, I’ll quit!”

……

In a villa at Runfengyuan Estate, Zhao Jinzhi, just out of the shower and clad in a robe, sat alone in her empty study. She gazed at the spacious, eighty-square-meter room, intricately decorated with antique-style woodwork and floral bamboo carvings, and at the swimming pool outside shimmering under the night lights. A deep sense of displacement troubled her.

Every corner of the house had been crafted to her taste and aesthetic, yet she felt no sense of belonging.

Reflecting on her life’s journey, Zhao Jinzhi grew even more confused. Her husband had died young, leaving behind a business and a child. For years, she fought tirelessly to carve out a future for her son, but what had it amounted to?

Devoted to her career and neglectful of her family, she had indeed built an empire, but her now-thirty-year-old son had become an idle playboy, lacking principle and distant from her. Recently, after being hospitalized twice, several board members had delicately voiced concerns about her health, hinting she should name a successor.

After all this, her son barely maintained a façade of respect, the ambition of a wolf cub emerging beneath. What was there to fight for? This legacy was always meant for him.

The more her son pushed, the less Zhao Jinzhi wanted to relinquish her power. They say children are a safeguard against old age, but faced with such an ungrateful son, she felt afraid.

Perhaps… this was the weariness of old age.

She recalled how, in her youth, she had faced countless storms without fear, yet now worried over these threats. With a bitter smile, she shook her head.

Unbidden, a figure dancing to music appeared in her mind—so vibrant, so open-hearted. Yes, he had taken a call while dancing, from family. Their relationship must be harmonious.

Ring ring ring ring.

Just as a faint smile formed on her lips, her phone rang. Seeing it was the general manager of a branch company, she frowned and answered.

“It’s late. What is it?”

“My apologies for disturbing your rest, Director Zhao. Liu Xin, one of our artists, has had an incident.”

“Liu Xin? Which Liu Xin?”

“The one we signed last year, the one who returned from Korea!”

“Oh. What happened?”

“He just fainted in his hotel. As I mentioned earlier, our company invested in ‘The End of the Forbidden City’—the crew’s been stirring up controversy around an on-set accident involving Liu Xin. There’s been conflict, and now his fan club is in turmoil. Overwhelmed, he collapsed. His agent called demanding we punish the ‘End of the Forbidden City’ crew and clear Liu Xin’s name. Otherwise…”

Zhao Jinzhi remembered this; someone had briefed her earlier that afternoon, but she’d been too distracted to act on it.

“I understand, but I need more details. Hang up for now, we’ll discuss it later.”

She ended the call, dried her hair with her towel, and sat at her desk. Turning on her computer, she searched for Liu Xin.

Instantly, trending keywords popped up: “Liu Xin ‘End of the Forbidden City’ set scandal,” “Liu Xin’s statement refuted by Li Shixin,” “Liu Xin’s fans rumored to be fighting internally.”

She clicked on one, found a video, and played it.

As the footage began and an elderly face appeared on screen, Zhao Jinzhi paused in surprise.

Then she smiled.

“So it’s you, stubborn old man?”