Because everything happened so suddenly, Kong Rui didn't even have time to hush it up with money before the whole thing was exposed to the public.
The entertainment industry was already a chaotic mess, and scandals like this involving men weren't anything new. Normally, this wouldn't have drawn much attention. But the real problem was that Kong Rui had sent the woman to the hospital.
Netizens, always eager for drama, flocked to the exposé post and began leaving comments:
"Didn't expect Director Kong to be this wild. He actually sent someone to the hospital."
"I already knew he wasn't a decent man, but hitting someone? That's too far."
"Looks like his drama's going to be affected by this."
"Exactly. Poor my girl—she worked so hard filming, only to get ruined by some morally bankrupt guy."
Sitting in a chair along the hospital corridor, Kong Rui scrolled through the online vitriol aimed at him, simmering with frustration.
He was already feeling miserable due to the recent abnormalities with his health, and now he had made it onto the trending list for assaulting someone—worse still, he couldn't even suppress it.
And that was only the beginning. What the doctor said next made his headache worse.
"Mr. Kong, the woman you brought in earlier—after stitching her face, we believe she may end up with scarring. You should prepare for the worst."
Hearing this bad news, Kong Rui's heart skipped a beat—not because he felt sorry for the woman, but because he was worried she'd cling to him over this and bleed him dry financially.
He forced a smile and gave a perfunctory, "Okay, thank you, doctor."
The doctor just shook his head helplessly. He had done his duty as a medical professional—beyond that, there was nothing more he could do.
Xu Meilin, who was lying in bed, completely lost it when she regained consciousness. She couldn't accept what had happened to her and went on a rampage in the ward. After all, what woman doesn't care about her looks?
When Kong Rui walked in, the first thing he saw was her throwing a fit. Xu Meilin, upon spotting the culprit, immediately tried to get up and attack him.
In the end, it took several nurses working together to restrain her, and under the doctor's supervision, she was given a sedative.
The hospital didn't want her going berserk again and disturbing other patients.
Meanwhile, when Feng Wan saw the news that morning, she was in a great mood. She could more or less guess why that scumbag had lashed out—most likely from embarrassment and rage.
But soon, the heat around the Kong Rui exposé was completely eclipsed by another bombshell—this time about Yan Yi.
Feng Wan eagerly clicked on the new post, which featured a high-definition photo of Yan Yi being taken away by the police. Beneath it was an official announcement from the police department confirming the charges: rape of an underage girl and invasion of privacy.
The moment the post went live, major media outlets scrambled to repost it. After all, this was headline material of the year.
Many netizens once again lamented how deep the filth ran in the entertainment industry—criminals could become pop kings. The ones hit hardest were Yan Yi's fans, many of whom publicly announced they were done with him.
"Yan Yi is pure scum—worse than an animal. I support the government handing down a harsh sentence."
"I can't believe I once bought his albums. Burned them already."
"He always looked so clean-cut, but in private, he's pure filth."
"Good thing this came out early, or even more people would've suffered at his hands."
Meanwhile, in a pitch-black room, a dazed-looking girl laughed maniacally after seeing the news.
Heaven really does have eyes.
After what she'd been through… dropping out of school, depression, a string of breakdowns… she still couldn't bring herself to step outside. Just seeing a strange man would send her into trembling fits.
Now, seeing justice delivered gave her some sense of relief.
The government, noticing the direction public opinion was heading, also issued a timely statement: Authorities would be increasing oversight of the entertainment industry and cracking down hard on illegal and criminal behavior. Anyone caught would be punished without leniency.
Upon seeing this, the director who had been working with Yan Yi immediately contacted his agency and demanded they return the previously paid compensation.
Given how serious things had gotten, the director didn't even dare hope for any breach-of-contract penalties anymore—he just wanted to get the production's original investment back.
Fortunately, he acted fast enough, and Yan Yi's agency, intimidated by the power of the satellite channel, quickly refunded the signing bonus.
Yuan Huihui also saw the post about Kong Rui, which only strengthened her resolve to cling tightly to her CEO, Murong Bo.
But then she thought about her current standing in the industry—and couldn't help but sigh.