After Being Scummed – Chapter 40
by Little PandaThe Little Prince barged into her world.
Zuo Jingyou accepted Yin Bai[‘s suggestion and changed her flight to the 5:30 AM one, planning to arrive in Haicheng at seven and check directly into the hotel Yin Bai had booked earlier.
But man proposes, God disposes1. In the latter half of the night, news broke that the Film Emperor had been imprisoned for drug abuse.
That Film Emperor was none other than Chen Jingtao2, the male lead of 《1874》, the movie during which He Zhiwen had proposed to Zuo Jingyou. Chen Jingtao was one of the most bankable Film Emperors among the middle-aged and young generation of actors. No one had expected him to do such a thing.
Precisely because no one thought he was that kind of person, the public outcry was even more intense! One had to understand how severely the country cracked down on drugs; artists tainted by drugs almost never had a chance to make a comeback.
Chen Jingtao’s imprisonment made this storm even bigger.
With both the director and male lead of 《1874》 imprisoned, all the actors who had participated in the film came under media scrutiny. And Zuo Jingyou, as the female lead, was at the very center of the storm’s vortex.
After all, with both the male lead and director imprisoned for drug abuse, who knew if Zuo Jingyou, the female lead, might also be involved? Major anonymous forums exploded with speculation about the possibility of Zuo Jingyou using drugs, and the rumors instantly became even harder to control.
Therefore, before seven o’clock, entertainment reporters from every single major media outlet were blocking the airport exit, waiting for Zuo Jingyou to appear.
Zuo Jingyou was also somewhat unprepared for this scene, but she had seen her share of big spectacles. She still proceeded with her assistants according to plan, splitting into two groups to leave.
Yang Yi led another personal assistant out through a different exit, drawing away some of the reporters. Seeing that the situation was about right, Zhang Yu then led a disguised Zuo Jingyou in another direction.
But there were too many reporters this time. The moment Zuo Jingyou appeared, she was spotted. A reporter holding a camera caught a glimpse of her in the airport and, like a shark smelling blood, instantly became excited. “It’s Zuo Jingyou! Zuo Jingyou!”
He pointed, and all the reporters present looked in Zuo Jingyou’s direction. Zhang Yu, who was beside Zuo Jingyou, paused for a moment, then grabbed Zuo Jingyou’s hand, ready to run.
But the reporters were too fast. They swarmed from all directions and surrounded Zuo Jingyou in an instant. Soon, the airport exit was completely blocked, impenetrable. A crowd of reporters, holding their long and short camera lenses3, thrust all sorts of microphones towards Zuo Jingyou’s mouth. “Zuo Jingyou, what are your thoughts on Director He Zhiwen’s imprisonment for drug abuse?”
“Regarding Director He Zhiwen’s drug abuse, were you previously aware of it?”
“Director He Zhiwen and Mr. Chen Jingtao both used drugs. Were you aware of this in the early years?”
“Did you also participate in He Zhiwen and Chen Jingtao’s parties before?!”
Amidst countless flashing lights, Zuo Jingyou, wearing sunglasses, navigated through the tightly packed crowd on her own, walking forward in her high heels without saying a word. Zhang Yu stayed by her side, like a mother hen protecting her chick, flailing her arms and shouting loudly, “Make way! Please make way! Don’t block the path, quickly make way!”
Good heavens! This had nothing to do with Zuo Jingyou, so why were they all targeting her? Were these paparazzi4 crazy?
As it turned out, these paparazzi really were crazy. Seeing only one person beside Zuo Jingyou, one of the more agitated ones rushed forward and shoved a microphone right in front of her face. “Miss Zuo Jingyou! Did you also participate in drug use?!”
Just then, someone nearby bumped the reporter’s shoulder, causing the microphone to be pushed into Zuo Jingyou’s face. Zuo Jingyou immediately stepped back, but she couldn’t dodge in time. The microphone hit her sunglasses, her foot twisted, and she stumbled backward.
Seeing this, Zhang Yu quickly supported Zuo Jingyou by the waist and exclaimed, “Teacher Zuo!”
A tearing pain shot up from her foot. Zuo Jingyou hissed softly, her brow furrowed in discomfort.
Damn, I must have sprained my ankle, Zuo Jingyou thought. But she endured the pain and, leaning on Zhang Yu’s arm, steadied herself.
She lifted her eyes, coldly swept her gaze over the reporters in front of her, and said, full of displeasure, “Everyone, could you please be quiet?”
Even surrounded by so many people, Zuo Jingyou’s voice remained calm and composed. Those hot-headed individuals, upon hearing her voice, involuntarily quieted down.
Leaning on Zhang Yu, Zuo Jingyou looked at the reporters who were about to press closer and said, “Everyone, take a step back. If you have questions, ask them one by one, slowly.”
“We all see each other often5 in our daily work. Is it necessary to take things this far?”
Hearing her say this, the reporters tactfully took a step back. But they still held up their microphones, their gazes sharp as they looked at Zuo Jingyou, and asked callously, “Teacher Zuo, does this mean you’re accepting an interview? May I ask if you were aware of He Zhiwen’s drug abuse?”
Zuo Jingyou glanced at the person who spoke and said calmly, “You’re from Fresh Fruit Entertainment… Let me tell you, regarding this matter, I was completely unaware. Like all of you, I only found out about it last night through the police announcement.”
After Zuo Jingyou finished speaking, she saw that the reporter was about to ask another question, so she quickly interrupted, “This is a public place. I wouldn’t normally accept your interview here, but you’re causing too much trouble for others, so I’ll keep it brief.”
Standing in the middle of a pack of sharks surrounding her, Zuo Jingyou endured the pain, straightened her back, and responded frankly and decently, “I did not know about He Zhiwen’s drug abuse, and similarly, I did not know about Mr. Chen Jingtao’s situation. As for what they did together last night, I believe the police will issue a clearer announcement after a thorough investigation.”
“This is He Zhiwen and the others’ business; it has nothing to do with me. If a press conference is needed, they are the ones who need to hold it. You don’t need to keep pestering me.”
After speaking, Zuo Jingyou offered a polite smile to the reporters in front. “Now then, I need to leave. Could I trouble you to make way?”
As her voice fell, Zuo Jingyou lifted her leg and, leaning on Zhang Yu while enduring the pain, walked directly out in her high heels.
The reporters hadn’t given up. They followed Zuo Jingyou, surrounding her again, holding up their microphones and pressing relentlessly, “Miss Zuo, you mean this has nothing to do with you? Then, does He Zhiwen have a history of drug abuse? Did you divorce him because of this?”
“He Zhiwen was arrested and imprisoned with Lin Xiao this time. Did He Zhiwen transfer his affections to Lin Xiao because of a shared addiction to drugs?”
“Teacher Zuo…”
“Teacher Zuo…”
The entertainment reporters’ voices were extremely noisy, like ten thousand ducks quacking in Zuo Jingyou’s ears. Zuo Jingyou lowered her head, pressed her lips together, and didn’t answer any more questions.
So annoying… such boring questions… She had clearly said it had nothing to do with He Zhiwen, so why were they still pestering her?
Her ankle also hurt so much; that twist just now wasn’t light. These people were too much. Why wouldn’t they listen? Didn’t they know doing this caused so much trouble for others?
The excessive pain made it impossible for Zuo Jingyou to concentrate. She leaned against Zhang Yu, walking forward in silence. Her ears were filled with noisy clicking sounds, dazzling flashes of light, and endless, pointless questions.
It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also seemed like only a short while. The pursuing questions by her ear seemed to stop, and everyone looked ahead, whispering, “That big shot is here…”
“It’s that Boss…”
“Stop filming, stop filming! That person has appeared…”
Even Zhang Yu, beside her, stopped walking and looked ahead, her voice trembling as she called out, “Bo… Boss…”
Boss?
Hearing the voice, Zuo Jingyou looked up ahead.
The seven o’clock morning light, compared to the brightly lit airport hall, was very hazy. In the ambiguous light, Zuo Jingyou saw Yin Bai, dressed in a cool gray casual suit, leading a group of bodyguards, leaning on a cane, her face cold and murderous as she broke through the reporters’ encirclement and walked towards them.
In a dim and muddled world, Yin Bai was like a ray of light, cleaving through the obscure dawn, walking straight towards her.
The reporters surrounding Zuo Jingyou, upon seeing Yin Bai, consciously parted to the sides, allowing Yin Bai and her bodyguards to walk step by step to Zuo Jingyou.
It was clearly a distance of less than five meters, yet Zuo Jingyou felt as if Yin Bai had walked for an entire lifetime.
Zuo Jingyou lowered her eyes, watching Yin Bai’s cane tap the ground not far in front of her. Only then did she slowly raise her head to look at Yin Bai. Perhaps the morning light was too hazy; for a moment, Zuo Jingyou felt that the Yin Bai before her was so beautiful she didn’t seem real, only dreamlike and illusory.
She couldn’t quite describe the feeling, but the moment her gaze met Yin Bai’s, her voice unconsciously softened. “Why did you come?”
Yin Bai leaned on her cane with both hands, her face cold, her eyes complex as she looked at Zuo Jingyou being supported by Zhang Yu. She said, very unhappily, “I told you, I was worried about you.”
As she spoke, she tilted her chin towards Zuo Jingyou and said, “What happened? Why is Zhang Yu supporting you? Are you injured?”
Zuo Jingyou nodded, her eyes soft, her tone somewhat aggrieved. “Mm, I twisted my ankle.”
Yin Bai sighed, walked to Zuo Jingyou’s side with her cane, and extended her hand. “I told you, this group of reporters is terrifying. I told you to leave in the middle of the night, why didn’t you?”
Zuo Jingyou let go of Zhang Yu, took Yin Bai’s hand, and leaned against her as she explained, “It wasn’t a big deal. Actually, it was all resolved just now.”
“All resolved? Weren’t you just surrounded by people?”
Zuo Jingyou pressed against her, trying to walk on one foot like Yin Bai, and smiled. “So, didn’t you come to save me?”
Yin Bai thought about it and nodded. “Good thing I came!” She really was a clever little imp, able to predict the future.
Zuo Jingyou leaned against her, looking at her with an exceptionally gentle gaze. “Yes, it’s a good thing you came.”
As if having crossed a vast ocean of time, she had finally arrived by her side. At this moment, Zuo Jingyou suddenly had an epiphany: everyone who appears in your life might have a special meaning.
If He Zhiwen once represented love, then what did Yin Bai represent? Zuo Jingyou couldn’t quite be sure what Yin Bai represented at this moment, but she understood that Yin Bai had truly barged into her world.
Just like the Little Prince descending upon a barren desert, unexpectedly, silently, she had entered her world.
Yin Bai reached out, put her arm around Zuo Jingyou’s shoulder, and leaning on her cane, half-escorted, half-swept her along, passing through the reporters’ encirclement under the escort of a group of bodyguards.
When they could no longer get a shot of Yin Bai’s face, a daring reporter finally raised a camera and click-clack went the shutter at their retreating backs. This seemed to be a signal; the others quickly came to their senses and frantically raised their cameras, furiously snapping pictures of Yin Bai and her bodyguards escorting Zuo Jingyou away.
Those taking photos took photos, those recording videos recorded videos. Afterwards, the reporters asked their filming partners if they had managed to get a shot of Yin Bai’s face.
The partner gave an embarrassed smile. “How would I dare? That’s Boss Yin!”
Yes, that was Boss Yin. A cold-faced, ruthless Black Yama6 who, to prevent even a single photo of herself from leaking, had caused countless entertainment companies and media outlets to lose numerous lawsuits and suffer heavy losses.
LP: Re-translated on June 08, 2025
Footnotes
- 人算不如天算 | rén suàn bùrú tiān suàn | Lit. “man’s calculations are not as good as Heaven’s calculations.” An idiom meaning that human plans are subject to fate or unforeseen circumstances; similar to “Man proposes, God disposes.”
- 陳靖濤 | Chén Jìngtāo
- 長槍短炮 | chángqiāng duǎnpào | Lit. “long spears and short cannons.” A metaphor for the various types of cameras and telephoto lenses used by photographers, especially paparazzi. The original text had □□ which likely stood for 長槍 (chángqiāng).
- 狗仔 | gǒuzǎi | Lit. “puppies.” A colloquial term for paparazzi, often carrying a negative connotation.
- 低頭不見擡頭見 | dītóu bù jiàn táitóu jiàn | Lit. “not see when bowing one’s head, see when raising one’s head.” An idiom describing people who live or work in close proximity and encounter each other frequently, implying a certain level of familiarity or inevitability of meeting.
- 黑閻王 | Hēi Yánwáng | “Black Yama.” Yama (閻王 Yánwáng) is the King of Hell in Chinese mythology, a stern judge of the dead. “Black Yama” implies someone extremely fearsome, powerful, and possibly ruthless, who enforces their will strictly.
I wish Yin Bai had taken down the reporters’ info to sue them all for harassment and assault. Their reckless behavior caused Zuo Jingyou to be injured, how can she just let her wife get injured without demanding a pound of flesh?
those annoying reporters
THANK YOU TRANSLATOR
those annoying reporters
THANK YOU TRANSLATOR