Are you finding fault with me for being meddlesome?
On that evening, when Yin Bai called Zuo Jingyou, they discussed this matter. Yin Bai expressed that even though Tong Tong had been appeased with delicious food, she was still feeling sad. She hoped that Zuo Jingyou could find some time in the near future to comfort her more.
Zuo Jingyou held her phone and sighed deeply while pinching her brow: “I had already explained this to Tong Tong before, and her reaction wasn’t that great at the time. I thought she could accept the fact that she and He Zhiwen were separated, especially since they had been apart for over a year.”
Yin Bai lay on the bed, browsing picture books on her tablet and responding to Zuo Jingyou: “Even if the separation is prolonged, no child can easily accept the fact that their parents are splitting up, especially a child like Tong Tong who has always been loved by her father and mother.”
“Teacher Zuo, after finishing the movie this time, you should consider slowing down your work and spending more time with Tong Tong.”
Zuo Jingyou nodded and replied with an “okay.”
Yin Bai looked through the picture books for a while but didn’t find anything satisfactory. She lazily sat up on the bed and said to Zuo Jingyou, “On April 21st, you’re going to that Thorny Flower Award, right?”
Zuo Jingyou nodded, “Yes, I’m going. Even though I didn’t have much work last year, I was invited as a guest presenter.”
Yin Bai hesitated and pointed to her pillow, saying, “I was also invited this year. One of the company’s productions is nominated. Originally, it was Jin Xiangyu who was going on my behalf, but if you’re going… I think I can go by myself.”
“I’m just a cripple, and my walking doesn’t look too good. I was thinking that some people might be willing to accompany me.”
Zuo Jingyou couldn’t help but chuckle softly, “Is Teacher Yin Bai asking me to be your companion?”
Yin Bai turned over and lay on the bed, gazing at the crystal chandelier above with a playful smile and asked, “So, what do you think I meant?”
“Alright, alright,” Zuo Jingyou sighed and replied in a soft, gentle voice, “Since Teacher Yin Bai sincerely invited me, I will reluctantly agree.”
“Reluctantly?” Yin Bai widened her eyes, clenched her fist, and threatened in a determined tone, “What do you mean by ‘reluctantly’? Is being my companion such a difficult task? Why do you seem so unwilling!”
Yin Bai was clearly teasing, but Zuo Jingyou didn’t mind and instead gently coaxed her in a soft voice, “Okay, there’s no reluctance. I just thought that being your companion might be a bit of a pressure.”
Yin Bai protested in a somewhat displeased tone, “What’s so much pressure about it? I’m not actually making you support me; I can walk on my own.”
Zuo Jingyou chuckled softly and said very gently, “Of course, it can be quite a pressure. You’re so beautiful. Which female celebrity wouldn’t worry about being overshadowed when standing next to you?”
Yin Bai was momentarily taken aback, realizing that it was a sugar coated attack from Zuo Jingyou!
She put her hand to her lips and cleared her throat in embarrassment, saying, “Well… I think you have a point. I am indeed quite beautiful. But, Teacher Zuo, you’re no slouch either! When we stand together, it’s like a perfect match, radiating brilliance!”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Zuo Jingyou laughed, her eyes curved, “Teacher Yin Bai, you’re really flattering me!”
“No, I’m not flattering you,” Yin Bai lay on the bed, wiggling her left foot like a wagging puppy’s tail, ignoring Zuo Jingyou’s teasing and saying with a cheerful smile, “Since that’s the case, let’s plan the attire for that day.”
In fact, Zuo Jingyou’s outfit had already been prepared, but she didn’t want to spoil Yin Bai’s excitement, so she simply said, “Okay.”
Yin Bai, based on Zuo Jingyou’s attire, arranged her own outfit for the day they were to meet and eagerly looked forward to the 21st when she could see Zuo Jingyou.
As the days went by and the day of their meeting drew nearer, Yin Bai’s mood improved. Since Zuo Jingyou’s flight was scheduled to arrive in Haicheng in the morning, Yin Bai planned to go directly to the venue to meet her.
However, no one could have anticipated the major event that occurred on the 20th.
On the night of the 20th, the capital city police department released a public announcement on their official social media account regarding the arrest of Lin Xiao and others for drug-related offenses, along with the seizure of over 200 grams of illegal drugs at the scene…
This news sent shockwaves throughout social media that evening.
Because the specific details of the case had not yet been fully disclosed, the entertainment industry was abuzz with speculation. Rumors circulated wildly, with some claiming that Lin Xiao and He Zhiwen were caught at a famous mobster’s house in the gay community, throwing a party with friends. Others suggested that He Zhiwen was the ringleader, with a long history of drug abuse spanning three to five years…
With these two individuals involved in the incident, it was unclear how many people were implicated. Lin Xiao’s friends from the entertainment circle, actors who had collaborated with He Zhiwen, and many others were inundated with phone calls.
Due to her connection to He Zhiwen, whom she had been divorced from for over a year, Zuo Jingyou became the most prominent figure in this incident. That evening, numerous media outlets and entertainment reporters called Zuo Jingyou and her staff repeatedly to verify whether the news was true.
Zuo Jingyou had a terrible headache and could only explain repeatedly that she was divorced from He Zhiwen and had no knowledge of his current activities.
While dealing with the media, Zuo Jingyou found some time to make a call to the He family.
The current head of the He family was He Zhiwen’s older brother, He Zhiwu. When he received a call from his former sister-in-law, he sighed and rubbed his forehead with concern, “It seems like Ah Wen has gone too far, but don’t worry, it won’t affect Tong Tong.”
Okay, it appeared that he had indeed been arrested for drug use.
Zuo Jingyou let out a sigh and didn’t know what to say. She heard He Zhiwu’s frustrated voice as he scolded, “Even though he was rebellious before and didn’t want to inherit the family business, and insisted on going into filmmaking, he was rebellious to some extent, but he wasn’t such an incorrigible person! Now, he’s hanging around with the wrong crowd, and he’s picked up all these bad habits!”
“You tell me, you tell me, how did he turn out like this? Ah, it’s all because the family spoiled him too much and didn’t raise him properly!”
Zuo Jingyou thought to herself that He Zhiwen was almost forty years old, so he shouldn’t need anyone to raise him. She sighed and said to He Zhiwu, “Big Brother Zhiwu, when you have time, you should go home and see Uncle He. With this incident involving Zhiwen, the old man must be very upset.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
He Zhiwu let out a heavy sigh, “You’re absolutely right! My father is beside himself with anger this time, and he really wants to break Zhiwen’s legs!”
Zuo Jingyou pursed her lips and remained silent. She thought back to the time when He Zhiwen had insisted on divorcing her, and her family had threatened to break his legs, but in the end, nothing had come of it. Throughout his life, He Zhiwen had received a great deal of favoritism from his family because of his resemblance to his late mother.
This time was no different. While the He family was angry, they would eventually find a way to get He Zhiwen out of this mess.
Zuo Jingyou had no interest in finding out how He Zhiwen had ended up on this path. After confirming the situation with the He family, she ended the call and decided not to disturb them further.
She didn’t want to disturb others, but some people were bothering her.
Faced with the questions from familiar media outlets, Zuo Jingyou couldn’t refuse, so she had to summon her strength and handle it until around midnight when she received a call from Yin Bai.
Perhaps knowing that Zuo Jingyou had been dealing with phone calls all evening, Yin Bai kept the conversation brief and to the point: “I know you must be exhausted from all the phone calls today, so I’ll get straight to the point.”
“News about He Zhiwen has broken. According to the information I have, he’s likely to serve several years in prison. Another famous actor within the industry is also going in with him, while Lin Xiao is just being used as a diversion.”
“Based on the predictions from Jin Xiangyu’s team, this incident is expected to remain a prominent social news topic for over a week. Also, He Zhiwen and Lin Xiao’s film 《At This Moment》 had already been confirmed as the Best Picture for this year’s Thorny Flower Awards. However, due to He Zhiwen’s drug-related imprisonment, the organizing committee has decided to rescind the award, which will lead to an awkward situation.”
“Additionally, tomorrow is the Thorny Flower Awards ceremony, and many attendees are arriving at the airport these days. Consequently, the airport is already crowded with reporters. The moment you appear, you will definitely be swarmed by them. I suggest you change your flight, immediately fly back to Haicheng, and avoid the group of reporters at the airport.”
Yin Bai spoke at length, took a pause, and continued, “I’ve already informed Zhang Yu. After you arrive at Haicheng Airport, head directly to the hotel where I’m staying. Don’t go to the place you originally booked; it will be swarmed. Do you understand?”
Zuo Jingyou held her phone, took some time to react, and then said, “It’s already midnight. Why aren’t you asleep?” Yin Bai usually went to bed at around 11, and this hour was quite late for her.
Yin Bai didn’t expect her long explanation to result in just this one comment from Zuo Jingyou. She remained stunned for a while before saying, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m worried about you, my friend. With He Zhiwen’s situation escalating like this, you’re bound to get caught up in it.”
Zuo Jingyou narrowed her eyes, a hint of softness in her gaze. “What do I have to worry about? The one who’s been arrested and going to prison is not me, it’s just my ex-husband. Why are you so concerned?”
Tha… that’s right…
She raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, sighing, “I’m worried that the media might swarm you. You know, there was that artist at the airport who got surrounded by reporters and was even pushed around, leading to injuries…”
Zuo Jingyou relaxed on the couch, leaning back, and chuckled softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of myself. No one will be able to harm me, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“Oh…” Yin Bai’s mind was filled with a thousand thoughts, all silenced by those words. She paused for a moment, not knowing what to say, and finally whispered, “I’ll go to sleep then…”
Zuo Jingyou sighed and soothingly said, “Yes, go to sleep. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.”
(If you're not reading on littlepandatranslations.com, it means this has been stolen)
Yin Bai hung up the phone and lay down in her bed. She pondered for a while and then decided to call Zuo Jingyou again.
Zuo Jingyou picked up the call immediately, her voice sounding like it came from a remote wilderness, deep and distant, as she asked, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Yin Bai bit her lip, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She hesitated and finally asked, “Zuo Jingyou, do you think I’m being too nosy?”
Zuo Jingyou chuckled, lowering her voice, and said, “Why would you think that? I just don’t want you to worry too much. You can rest assured. I’ll adjust my flight schedule, and I’ll be back in Haicheng tomorrow morning. No one will surround me, and I won’t be bothered by anyone.”
“There won’t be any trouble, Yin Bai. Tomorrow, I still need to meet my friend happily.”
“Be at ease. Don’t overthink things.”
Yin Bai felt a bit more at ease. She responded with an “Oh” and said, “Get some rest,” before hanging up the phone.