Cai Tongyue’s management agency reacted swiftly. They arranged an exclusive apology interview for him and paid off the young actor who had been berated in the video to speak up in his favor. Because they responded in time and Cai Tongyue’s apologetic stance appeared sincere—coupled with the public relations firm’s efforts to steer the narrative—some people even began to claim that Cai Tongyue was simply too "dedicated" to his craft and had merely been overly rigorous. While this couldn't undo the damage already done, it at least managed to save Cai Tongyue’s career for the time being.
However, regarding the "Tomorrow Night, 8 PM" teaser, rumors began to circulate that the content involved Cai Tongyue soliciting sex at a hotel. The rumors were quite detailed. Given the precedent of the first leak, netizens were inclined to believe the hearsay and began waiting with bated breath for the moment of revelation. When the agency summoned Cai Tongyue for questioning, he initially denied it, but eventually admitted in despair that it might have been something from shortly after his debut.
Cai Tongyue claimed it had only happened once, about five or six years ago. He had been drunk at a dinner party, and his boss at the time told him to pick someone to take back. By the time he sobered up the next morning, he was already filled with regret, and nothing of the sort had happened since. The agency was furious, but as things stood, they could only do their best to protect him before the scandal broke.
Zheng Kunyu rushed back to Hengdian the following day to act as a mediator for Cai Tongyue’s agency. He first applied pressure on the paparazzi and media outlets, then attempted to contact the leaker to buy out the photos. Such actions could never be entirely traceless, and they soon traced the source back to Jiaxing Entertainment.
Zheng Kunyu had a rough idea of the opponent's intentions. Jiaxing Entertainment had always been the arch-rival of Golden River Film & TV. In recent years, they had focused on television production and managing idol-tier artists; Shen Mo, who had once been involved in the "lifting the dress" scandal with Qi Bailu, was signed with Jiaxing. A Republican-era spy drama currently being produced by Jiaxing happened to share the same genre and release window as *How Much Regret the West Wind Brings*. Naturally, they wanted to crush their competition before the broadcast battle even began.
If those photos were truly leaked, Cai Tongyue’s career would likely be over, and *How Much Regret the West Wind Brings* would face an indefinite delay.
Misfortunes never come singly. By noon, another heavy-hitting news story gained rapid traction: the second female lead of a historical drama currently airing from Golden River Film & TV was exposed for being in a relationship with a "young idol" and was pregnant out of wedlock. Although the actress had always been a low-profile, talented performer rather than a "traffic" star, such a headline immediately shattered her peaceful life.
Peng Yiyi and Qi Bailu stayed on set for two days. Both of their assistants were on edge, constantly prowling the vicinity of the filming location to see if any hidden cameras were filming them. Since Zheng Kunyu’s return, Qi Bailu hadn't seen him once. He only heard from Cheng Wenhui that Zheng Kunyu had personally called Pan Xiaoyan of Jiaxing Entertainment. The two had talked for a long time and finally settled on terms. Zheng Kunyu would help Pan Xiaoyan obtain a broadcast license for his new drama, and in exchange, Pan Xiaoyan would back off and sell the photos to Cai Tongyue’s agency for the high price of one million yuan.
The matter was resolved, and the leaker vanished from the internet. However, the curiosity of the netizens remained unsatisfied. Various sensational rumors continued to be woven and spread, the momentum growing more intense as related hashtags stayed at the top of the trending lists. The talented actress who had been exposed for her relationship couldn't handle the harassment and begged Zheng Kunyu to suppress the matter.
Cheng Wenhui knew that under these circumstances, what they needed most was a new headline—one that could ideally overshadow even Cai Tongyue’s scandal. Cheng Wenhui made several calls, but Zheng Kunyu, after much thought, felt none of the options were sufficient solutions. Finally, Cheng Wenhui said, "Didn't Xiao Qi have that scandal with Peng Yiyi before?"
Standing by the office window, Zheng Kunyu’s hand paused as he smoked. Cheng Wenhui looked at his back and pressed on, "If all else fails, we can arrange for intimate photos of them to be taken, then have them admit to a relationship. They can break up a few months later; it won't have much of an impact on either of them."
"No."
"President Zheng, this is the best headline we can put out right now."
Zheng Kunyu didn't speak for a long while. He stood there until he finished the entire cigarette, then turned to find the ashtray and stubbed it out. A pot of vibrant gladiolus sat on the desk, blooming with graceful elegance. Zheng Kunyu looked at the flowers and suddenly asked, "Do you remember the photos I gave you last time?"
Cheng Wenhui was stunned for a moment. "I remember. They're in the safe."
"Use those."
Cheng Wenhui hesitated to move. Zheng Kunyu glanced at him, and Cheng Wenhui asked tentatively, "Don't we need to ask... first? Could there be a negative impact?"
"He will understand."
Since Zheng Kunyu had said so, Cheng Wenhui withdrew to handle the matter. Just as he reached the door, Zheng Kunyu called him back. Cheng Wenhui thought he had changed his mind, but instead, Zheng Kunyu asked, "Has he made any phone calls to anyone these past few days?"
Cheng Wenhui hadn't expected him to be so suspicious. After some thought, he slowly shook his head. Some words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn't know if he should ask.
Zheng Kunyu leaned against the desk thoughtfully, looking down as he toyed with a small object on the table. He gripped the head of a postmodern sculpture, twisting its body back and forth. A moment later, he looked up and concluded, "It wasn't him. He doesn't have that kind of capability yet."
News of Lin Yuewei, the director of *Dewy Night Run*, returning to the country was leaked by someone ahead of time. A significant number of media outlets rushed to Xiaoshan International Airport, carrying their "long guns and short cannons"—telephoto lenses—to conduct interviews. Logically, Lin Yuewei was just a director and shouldn't have received the treatment of a celebrity, but because she was so full of personality and topicality, she received such a "warm" welcome the moment she set foot back in the country.
Supposedly, Lin Yuewei didn't panic when facing the interview cameras. She simply gave a faint smile and greeted the reporters, saying, "I'm not Qi Bailu, why are you filming me?"
A reporter who was familiar with her complimented her new perm and asked how her new script was coming along. Lin Yuewei said she would start filming soon. The reporter asked if she would collaborate with Qi Bailu again. Lin Yuewei replied that the new script was about a mother and daughter, and Qi Bailu probably couldn't play the mother, nor the daughter. Finally, the reporter asked for her thoughts on Director Fang’s recent criticism of the film *Dewy Night Run*. Lin Yuewei let out an "Oh," appearing neither curious nor surprised. She looked into the camera and asked, "What did he say?"
In the interview video, Lin Yuewei’s cheeks were thin. She wore no makeup, only lipstick. Her curly hair fluttered in the wind, and her expression was peaceful and composed, yet her words carried an inexplicable sharpness.
Outside the video, Lydia, sitting on the sofa, giggled. Qi Bailu had no scheduled work today, so they had come to the company to handle some business. Lydia knew Qi Bailu and Lin Yuewei were friends and wanted to talk to him, but seeing him focused on a script, she didn't speak. Instead, she dragged the progress bar back to watch the video again.
Halfway through, a news pop-up dropped from the top of her phone screen. She instinctively swiped it away, but a few seconds later, Lydia suddenly bolted upright from the sofa. She scrambled to find the notification again. She called out Qi Bailu’s name blankly, her entire body turning cold before she even clicked on the content.
The headline of that news was: *Qi Bailu’s Explicit Pre-Debut Nude Photos Exposed.*
Cheng Wenhui had been waiting outside the meeting room for a long time. As soon as the door opened, he stepped forward, looking at the people trickling out with a hesitant expression. The secretary was originally reporting to Zheng Kunyu, but upon seeing Cheng Wenhui, Zheng Kunyu made a gesture for her to leave first. Cheng Wenhui looked at him with concern. Seeing this, Zheng Kunyu didn't need to ask to guess the situation. He said calmly, "He knows?"
"He’s in your office."
Zheng Kunyu nodded to show he understood, handed the folder in his hand to Cheng Wenhui for the time being, and walked straight toward his office. The office door opened and closed, cutting off the sound of footsteps in the hallway after the meeting. Zheng Kunyu saw Qi Bailu sitting in his large chair, staring at the computer screen. Blocked by the blooming gladiolus, Zheng Kunyu couldn't see his face clearly.
Hearing the sound, Qi Bailu finally leaned back against the chair and slowly raised his head. He stared at Zheng Kunyu and said, "This processing speed doesn't seem like you."
Zheng Kunyu didn't speak. He raised his hand to fiddle with the buttons on his shirt and walked toward the water dispenser on the other side to brew tea in his usual cup. Then, he walked over unhurriedly and placed the tea by Qi Bailu’s hand.
"Did you do it?"
Qi Bailu hated his indifferent composure. Suspicion and anger gathered in his gaze. Zheng Kunyu didn't answer, but Qi Bailu was already certain—these photos had indeed been released by Zheng Kunyu.
He didn't want to look at him for another second and moved to stand up from the chair, only to be pressed back down by Zheng Kunyu’s unquestionable grip on his shoulders. The office curtains weren't drawn; they seemed to be sitting under the shadow of dark clouds. Qi Bailu’s face was pale and grim as he stared stubbornly into Zheng Kunyu’s eyes.
"Why are they in your hands? Speak!"
"Your uncle sold them to me."
He said "sold," not "gave."
Zheng Kunyu squeezed his shoulders and stopped looking into his eyes, turning instead to look at the computer screen. Since a moment ago, Qi Bailu had been looking at these news reports. The cursor rested on one of the photos. In the picture, Qi Bailu was sitting on a wooden chair, wearing nothing but a white T-shirt. Both of his bare feet were planted on the edge of the chair, so his knees were pressed against his chest. His rounded knees rose like mountains, and the lines of his thighs and calves presented an extremely erotic beauty.
He wasn't looking at the camera. Instead, one hand was buried in his short, jet-black hair, and his face wore an expression bordering on pensive.
To simply call them "nude photos" wasn't entirely accurate; they were more like artistic photography, except the lens was saturated with a pornographic gaze. Standing behind Qi Bailu, Zheng Kunyu found the mouse and continued to scroll down. In the photos, Qi Bailu was either sitting or reclining. The most explicit one showed him sprawled across a bed, his exquisite form partially veiled by white sheets. This was also the only one where he looked directly at the camera. At eighteen, his aura was somewhere between a youth and an adult. He wasn't as thin as he was now; his young body, like a Greek marble statue, possessed the most full and beautiful lines.
The cursor clicked on the final image. It was a medium close-up of his face. It was unclear if the photographer had intentionally mimicked the film version of *Tess*; a hand clearly belonging to an adult man held a strawberry by its stem, dangling it above to entice the subject. At that time, Qi Bailu’s face was still full of innocence and greenness as he slightly parted his mouth to receive that dripping, bright red strawberry.
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
佳兴娱乐 | Jiaxing Entertainment | A rival entertainment company.
潘效言 | Pan Xiaoyan | Head of Jiaxing Entertainment.
金河影视 | Golden River Film & TV | Zheng Kunyu's company.
林悦微 | Lin Yuewei | Director of *Dewy Night Run*.
《西风多少恨》 | *How Much Regret the West Wind Brings* | The drama currently being filmed.
《露水夜奔》 | *Dewy Night Run* | The film Qi Bailu starred in previously.
萧山国际机场 | Xiaoshan International Airport | The primary airport serving Hangzhou.
方导 | Director Fang | A director mentioned in the news.
《苔丝》 | *Tess* | Refers to the film *Tess* (1979), specifically the famous strawberry scene.
