TF01 44

Ying Ming only fully grasped the scale of the Weisai incident when he finally turned on the television.

Generally speaking, most of the gossip in the entertainment industry only made it as far as tabloids and magazines. People would chat about it over meals, and while it could be annoying, it usually passed soon enough.

If something actually made it onto television, it was often old news that had been talked about endlessly. Even when scandals or disputes between cast members were reported, they were rarely presented with definitive accusations. The reports would simply hint at things with carefully chosen words, leaving the audience to interpret them however they wished.

But the Weisai situation was clearly on a different level.

It was not being reported on entertainment or film channels but on mainstream news. The general outlook on the matter was pessimistic, with discussions revolving around possible repercussions and consequences.

By the time Ying Ming watched the broadcast, it was already a replay. The news anchor, in an emotionless tone, briefly summarized the events of the rally. While they did not go into detail about Dong Xiao’s injuries, his name was explicitly mentioned.

Wang Yiqi was watching with him. When the camera showed Dong Xiao avoiding the media, Wang Yiqi raised an eyebrow. “How bad is his injury?”

Ying Ming did not respond. He simply lit a cigarette, his brows lightly furrowed.

Wang Yiqi observed him for a moment. “Is it serious?”

“Yeah.” Ying Ming replied simply. “Worse than what they reported.”

No one wanted things to escalate to this point, but now that the truth was out, he was not surprised.

Too many people had been involved in the incident. Even if one person kept quiet, another might not. In cases like this, everything came down to personal choices. There were no guarantees.

Weisai had mishandled the situation from the start.

Thinking they could cover it up with a few conditions and a signed agreement had been naive.

And since he and Shi Yi were the only ones who had refused to sign that agreement, now that the news was out, he had become the main target.

Wang Yiqi noticed the rare hint of concern in his tone and frowned. “So when Kou Jing called earlier, was he suggesting that you’re connected to this?”

He knew Ying Ming had been involved with Weisai’s project, but beyond that, he had only heard bits and pieces.

Ying Ming hesitated, considering how to explain it. After a brief pause, he turned to Wang Yiqi. “To put it simply, I didn’t sign the agreement Weisai tried to use to cover this up.”

There was no need to say the rest. Wang Yiqi would understand.

Sure enough, after hearing that, Wang Yiqi’s brows knitted together. “So what are you going to do now?”

“I can’t do anything right now.”

At this point, it was Weisai that needed to figure out what to do, not him. His name was not on the list of people directly involved, so in theory, this had little to do with him.

Logically speaking, that made sense. But how things would actually unfold was another matter entirely—no one could predict that.

Wang Yiqi, seeing how casually he spoke, did not hold back in calling him out. “So what you’re saying is that you’ve already become a fish on the chopping block, just waiting for someone to take the knife?”

“Can you not make it sound so terrible?” Ying Ming glanced at him, then slowly finished his thought. “Even if you’re not wrong.”

Weisai’s crisis management had actually been quite fast. The same night the news broke, they held a press conference, publicly releasing the results of the rally accident investigation. However, they completely avoided mentioning Dong Xiao’s injuries. They also made all the test data on their new car available. Although some industry experts still raised doubts, the explanation was largely seen as acceptable.

At the end of the conference, Weisai even added a statement, claiming that this incident was a malicious attack on their brand’s reputation and that they did not rule out taking legal action.

Both Ying Ming and Shi Yi received calls from the media afterward, requesting interviews. In the end, overwhelmed by the constant harassment, they had to block the numbers. Ying Ming was relatively unaffected, but Shi Yi was somewhat inconvenienced.

Filming for the movie was almost done. Ying Ming had fewer than fifteen scenes left, so he pushed through and wrapped up in two intense days.

Most of the people on the rally race participant list were difficult to track down, and even if reporters managed to find them, they would not get any useful answers. With the overlap of politics, business, and entertainment, these kinds of stories were always prime gossip material. After Dong Xiao’s accident, Weisai had already edited the rally list, and some names had been altered. But Ying Ming and Shi Yi had been in the final winners’ announcement, and some media outlets had covered that at the time. There was no way to hide it now.

Shi Yi eventually handed the matter over to his company’s PR team. Other than the occasional nuisance call, things were relatively quiet for him.

The real problem was Ying Ming.

As an actor, Ying Ming couldn’t afford to have a completely antagonistic relationship with reporters, so most of the time, he cooperated to some extent. The problem was that most of their questions were nonsense, pure speculation presented as fact, with baseless rumors blown out of proportion.

As Wang Yiqi put it, before the rally race, Ying Ming had been in the same production as Dong Xiao, had been linked to the female lead in a tabloid scandal, and had brushed up against all the relevant drama. Who else would they go after if not him?

In no time, every old controversy was dug up again. Even the minor friction between him and Dong Xiao on set was brought into the spotlight. Each day, the media spun a new version of the story, stirring up the public and making it a hot topic everywhere.

Dong Xiao’s manager issued a response the day after Weisai’s press conference.

The official statement claimed that Dong Xiao had not been seen recently because he was preparing for a new film, a Hollywood production in which he had been invited to play a Chinese-American supporting role. Supposedly, he had been in the U.S. undergoing necessary training. The manager flatly denied all reports about serious injuries or disfigurement from the rally accident, echoing Weisai’s stance and even hinting at possible legal action. However, details about the new movie remained undisclosed, pending final confirmation from the U.S. side.

Less than half the public bought it.

Many continued to press for Dong Xiao’s whereabouts, demanding photos or footage of his so-called training. But the manager blocked all inquiries, citing confidentiality agreements. In the end, without concrete evidence, everything remained speculation, just rumors floating around.

After wrapping up filming, Ying Ming holed up at home, doing everything himself, including cooking his meals. Kou Jing called multiple times, repeatedly warning him not to go out. Even his usually distant manager reached out, asking if he wanted to temporarily stay at a friend’s place.

The way everyone was acting like this was a crisis reminded him of his days as a teenage film emperor.

Back then, it was the same. He had no freedom of movement, was constantly surrounded by people, and paparazzi lurked even outside bathroom doors, waiting to snap a few shots.

But times had changed. So had his mindset.

People liked to say that once someone reached the top, they could never come down. That they got addicted to the spotlight, incapable of returning to a quiet life. But really, it worked both ways. When you got used to peace, being dragged into the public eye again was just as unbearable.

Ying Ming took a couple of sips of beer and leaned against the window. Peeking through a gap in the curtains, he glanced outside. Cars were parked haphazardly along the street, some at odd angles, all in a way that made it clear they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Good thing he didn’t live in a residential complex.

Otherwise, he’d be getting cursed out for causing such a disturbance.

Shaking his head, he couldn’t be bothered to deal with the people outside anymore. He strolled over to the sofa and lazily sprawled out. The little furball circling his feet, Smoke Ring, took the hint, hopping onto his thigh before slowly making its way upward.

Ying Ming scooped it up effortlessly, looking at its perpetually expressionless face. He couldn’t help but chuckle. “How have I raised you for so long, yet you haven’t changed one bit?”

It looked exactly the same as the day it arrived.

People said pets resembled their owners, but he really couldn’t see any similarities between himself and Smoke Ring.

Ruffling the fluffy little thing, he absentmindedly turned on the TV, switching straight to the sports channel. He wasn’t particularly interested, but it was still better than dwelling on all that annoying drama.

He had barely watched for a few minutes when his landline rang.

Without getting up, he reached over, fumbled for the receiver, and wedged it between his shoulder and ear. He hadn’t expected the call to be from Shi Yi.

“How are you?”

No greeting, no introduction. If he weren’t so familiar with Shi Yi’s voice, this would’ve sounded like a crank call.

Ying Ming was surprised. “How do you have my home number?”

He was hardly ever home, and aside from his manager, Kou Jing, and his family, no one else knew the number. Everyone was well aware of how much he valued his privacy. Even if Shi Yi had asked Kou Jing, he wouldn’t have gotten an answer.

Shi Yi chuckled. “That time we got drunk at your place, I called my phone from your landline before I left.”

He had saved it purely out of habit, never expecting it to come in handy.

Hearing that, Ying Ming realized he hadn’t checked his missed calls on this phone in ages.

Adjusting his position, Ying Ming placed Smoke Ring on the floor. “Why didn’t you call my cell?”

“Would you even pick up at a time like this?”

“Heh, fair point.”

They both chuckled lightly. Ying Ming let out a long, resigned sigh. “I’m basically shut off from the outside world now.”

The second half of that saying about immersing oneself in scholarly pursuits didn’t apply to him. No matter how much he read, he’d never ascend to such lofty heights. It would just be a joke.

Shi Yi raised a brow, unsurprised by his reaction.

But he hadn’t called just to check in. “Has Weisai reached out to you yet?”

“Not yet.” Ying Ming, feeling a little bored, switched to the movie channel and lowered the volume. “They contacted you?”

“Yeah, dinner tonight.”

“Then I guess it won’t be long for me either…”

Whether sooner or later, there was no avoiding it.

Ying Ming frowned slightly, clearly annoyed. The whole thing left a bad taste in his mouth. Worrying about it wouldn’t change anything, but trying to ignore it wasn’t any better. His nerves were stretched tight, making it hard to eat or sleep properly.

That whole “things will work themselves out” saying was easy for people who weren’t in the thick of it.

His craving for a smoke crept up again. A quick glance at the coffee table told him there weren’t any left. With no other option, he took a sip of beer instead. Then something came to mind. “Oh yeah, Weisai hasn’t contacted me yet, but someone else did.”

Shi Yi fell silent for a moment before speaking. “Dong Xiao?”

“Yeah.”

Ying Ming let out a short laugh. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

“What did he say?”

“Nothing much. Just told me that if Weisai comes to negotiate, I shouldn’t factor him into my decision. Just agree to whatever they offer. He’ll handle his own situation.”

To be honest, his tone over the phone wasn’t great. But for him to say something like that, Dong Xiao had changed at least a little.

Shi Yi didn’t comment right away. He stayed silent for a moment before speaking. “And what about you?”

“My opinion doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll see how things play out.”

Ying Ming sighed, glancing toward the reporters outside with some frustration. “Avoiding the press is a basic survival skill for actors. Worst case, I just stay home.”

“It’s not just the reporters you need to avoid. You don’t know enough about what’s going on with Weisai.”

Shi Yi frowned. There was a restless frustration in his voice, something even he didn’t quite understand.