Chapter Eleven: Do You Really Think I Have No Connections?

“Alright, everyone in the livestream, the moment you’ve all been waiting for is about to begin.”

“The Lin Ze assault incident!”

The moment this was mentioned, the viewers immediately perked up.

[Here it comes!]

[Wasn’t that Wang Lei? The one who deliberately stirred up trouble with the girl group member on that variety show?]

[Yeah, yeah! The one who forced a fake romance, that creep!]

“First, there was no assault. Second, take a look at the angle from which this video was filmed.”

Su Zitan brought up the video on her phone and held it in front of the camera.

Lin Ze pointed to the white porcelain object partially blocking the lens in the video.

“I don’t think I need to explain what that is. Now, tell me—if someone’s crouching behind a urinal, wouldn’t I notice? If I really hit someone, would I let them leak the footage?”

Even before trying to track down the person, something about the video felt off. Now, with Lin Ze’s explanation, it all came together.

If someone had secretly filmed Lin Ze hitting someone, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it from the stall side?

How big is a urinal, anyway?

So, does this mean someone installed a camera in the men’s restroom?

“Everyone understands how serious it is to install a camera in a bathroom, right?” Lin Ze’s expression turned stern. “I will pursue this matter to the end.”

“Also, it’s obvious the video was maliciously edited. Anyone can break down the footage released by those gossip accounts using editing software and see exactly how they manipulate the audience through their cuts.”

“What’s most infuriating is how they zoom in on me pulling my hand away to wipe it, saying I was acting all high and mighty.”

Lin Ze looked at the camera, his voice full of indignation. “Everyone, there was a puddle of water on the floor. The guy fell right into it, sat down, and pressed his hands in the water. When he got up, he started slapping himself.”

“Who wouldn’t be alarmed in that situation?”

“He still had water on his hands and reached out to grab me—that’s water from the restroom floor! Isn’t it reasonable for me to wipe my hands?”

Of course it was reasonable!

Many in the chat immediately went to check the videos themselves, and sure enough, the reflection of a puddle could be seen on the floor.

Despite all the accusations of Lin Ze hitting someone, the most damning footage was of him pulling his hand away in disgust.

Some people believed him, while others didn’t.

There were still plenty in the chat hurling abuse at Lin Ze, and he casually muted a few more users.

“If you have time to troll me, why not ask those gossip accounts where they got their videos? Or who installed a camera next to the urinal?”

“There are some things I’ll explain once I’ve gathered all the evidence. Every single person involved—I won’t let any of them off.”

Lin Ze was only responding briefly today; he had already contacted President Li to pull the surveillance footage.

Xinghang Media’s legal department joined forces with Zitan Records’ team—this time, none of the culprits would get away!

[Brother Lin, you’re awesome!]

[All these incidents in a row—someone must be targeting him, right?]

[Obviously. It’s not hard to guess whom Brother Lin’s offended lately.]

Zhang Huai watched the stream, his expression uneasy. He had no idea where this video of Lin Ze supposedly hitting someone had come from…

He suspected it was probably Wang Lei, but at this moment, Zhang Huai couldn’t help thinking of his own son.

Could it be that idiot?

All you needed to do was stick to the plagiarism accusations—there would naturally be xenophobic netizens attacking Lin Ze, and after enough repetition, the lie would become truth.

But now, this video had surfaced at the worst possible time.

Zhang Huai called his son, Zhang Yang.

“Did you have anything to do with that video?”

Zhang Yang was about to proudly admit it, but something in his father’s tone made him hesitate.

“No… nothing to do with me…” Zhang Yang mumbled.

“Phew… Good.” Zhang Huai let out a sigh of relief. “The timing of this video is suspicious, and there are too many holes. For all we know, Lin Ze released it himself.”

“Huh?” Zhang Yang was stunned. “He released it himself?”

“Yeah. The plagiarism accusation alone would have been enough, but this video makes it look like someone’s out to get him.”

“That kid knows how to play the game,” Zhang Huai remarked with some admiration. He’d just watched the livestream and realized Lin Ze was no fool.

If only his own son were half as clever.

“Alright, as long as it’s not your doing. In a few days ‘I Just Love to Sing and Dance’ starts filming. You’re going there as a mentor.”

“Okay, okay.” Zhang Yang replied, sounding a bit guilty.

Hearing his son’s feeble tone, Zhang Huai grew even angrier.

“Don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to. Lin Ze’s already redirecting the blame toward us. Things are tense right now—stay away from your fans, got it?”

“Understood…”

After Zhang Huai hung up, Zhang Yang immediately searched for news on the Lin Ze assault incident.

In just that short time, Lin Ze’s response had already been clipped and posted online.

The more Zhang Yang watched, the darker his expression became. Remembering Wang Lei’s confident attitude at the time only made him angrier.

“Useless! What a garbage video.”

He immediately found Wang Lei’s contact and blocked him.

At that moment, Wang Lei, delighted by the online backlash against Lin Ze and eager to claim credit, tried to message Zhang Yang—only to see a red exclamation mark.

Soon, the company would no doubt trace the incident back to him, and now Zhang Yang had blocked him?

Wang Lei stared in disbelief, clinging to a faint hope as he sent another friend request.

But no reply came. A cold gleam flashed in Wang Lei’s eyes as he took screenshots of their old conversations.

No one would get away with this!

…

Director Zhang had spent half the day on the phone, but managed to secure less than a million in investment.

He knew Zitan Records wasn’t strong enough. Lin Ze told him not to worry, but Director Zhang couldn’t let go of his anxiety.

Without enough funding, all the preparations for the show would be wasted.

Any hope of reviving his career with this variety show would be dashed.

Just as he was frowning with worry, a call came in.

It was an unfamiliar number. Instinctively, Director Zhang almost declined, his finger hovering over the button—then, on a whim, he answered.

“Hello, this is Zhang Dahai speaking.”

“Hello, this is Li Cheng from the Su Group. How much investment do you need?”

The Su Group?

Su!

Director Zhang froze for a moment, suddenly reminded of Su Zitan.

Was Su Zitan connected to the Su Group?

Zitan Records had grown from nothing, and never once had the Su Group’s name come up.

“Our president says the amount doesn’t matter—all that matters is you make the show well.”

After a brief conversation, the call ended.

The Su Group would send someone over, and they’d be in Tong County soon.

Director Zhang was still reeling from the unexpected good fortune.

With this, Lin Ze and Su Zitan were technically bringing their own funding to the project. Maybe he should give them a little extra leeway during the games…