I Became Famous in the Entertainment Industry with High Martial Arts Skills - Chapter 48

Chapter 48: Decisive Retaliation

From the early death of his parents at age four, to a brief period of warmth in his adoptive home, to the awkward displacement after his adoptive parents had their own biological child, to the domestic upheaval caused by his adoptive father’s gambling addiction, and finally to the forced loss of his chance at university until he fled south alone.

Time and again, fate seemed full of malice toward the original owner. Whenever he thought hope was within reach, life would shove his head back under the icy water, repeatedly, until no whimper could escape his throat and no one cared for the pain he endured.

It wasn’t until Xie Ci from another world inhabited this body that these deeply buried, fragmented agonies were truly seen by another soul. Even if the price was death, the original owner finally received his first piece of disinterested sympathy and a meticulously planned revenge.

When Xie Ci recounted this to Mo Li, his tone was calm. He didn’t describe any sordid details, but simply and concisely stated the hardships of the original owner’s short life.

“Xie Ci, I…” After listening, Mo Li felt a sour ache in his throat. A breath was caught in his chest, and for a long while, he couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

After a long silence, he hugged Xie Ci tightly and spoke with difficulty: “These people will pay the price.”

His voice was thick with emotion. Xie Ci raised his arm and gently patted his friend’s back.

“Yes. I will make them pay.” Xie Ci’s voice was firm. Regarding what the original owner suffered, he wanted far more than just an apology. In the face of such damage, an apology was too pale. Xie Ci’s style was to plan before acting and strike a fatal blow at their weakest point.

A-Le sat on one side of the tea table, clutching her teacup cautiously. She had chosen a tea house not far from her rental apartment; the environment was clean, quiet, and offered good privacy.

The owner was an elderly woman who loved cleanliness; the small shop was orderly, with low-hanging drapes and wooden lattices dividing the tables into private areas. On this afternoon, only Xie Ci and A-Le were in the tea house, sitting in a corner with a few traditional snacks and a pot of brewed tea.

A-Le kept her head down, somewhat afraid to look at Xie Ci. Since her ugly fallout and contract termination with Wang Mingde, she hadn’t seen Xie Ci. Only after Han River Crossing became a hit did she occasionally see clips of him on her phone. Seeing the real person even more beautiful than the Wan Yuya on screen she quickly lowered her eyelids.

Xie Ci took off his hat and put his mask in his bag. He softened his tone as much as possible. “Hello, A-Le. Thank you for being willing to meet me.”

A-Le nodded, squeezing out a smile. “I saw your character on TV. Your acting is great.” Her voice was stiff, but the praise was sincere.

Xie Ci smiled shallowly. “Thank you for liking my character. I invited you today because I have something important to discuss. Before I begin, please look at these.”

He laid out two neatly organized contracts. “These are the two contracts I signed with Wang Mingde: the signing contract and the termination contract.” Xie Ci then took out his phone, lowered the volume, and played a recording.

In the recording, Wang Mingde’s arrogant voice withholding Xie Ci’s invitation in public rang in their ears. A-Le’s face turned pale at the familiar voice; her eyes filled with loathing, hatred, and a trace of lingering fear.

Xie Ci leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on the table. “A-Le, I promise you that any plan I propose will prioritize your safety.”

His firm tone and the sense of security he radiated made A-Le instinctively lower her guard. She nodded in trust. Xie Ci knew that for her, revisiting anything related to Wang Mingde required immense courage. He didn’t rush her, patiently showing his sincerity.

“Like you, after I first requested to terminate my contract, I faced threats of exorbitant liquidated damages and an industry blacklist. However, even after a successful termination, I was harassed by him again.” Xie Ci showed A-Le the chat logs on his phone.

On the screen were messages Zhuang Ming had secretly photographed from the drunken Zhuang Chengcai’s phone at 2:00 AM. Although Wang Mingde’s messages were cautious, Zhuang Chengcai spoke without a filter crude and direct exposing their conspiracy to bleed Xie Ci dry.

One planned to replace Mo Li and become Xie Ci’s manager again, clinging to this “cash cow” while trying to exploit a connection with Director Zhang Yunjiang. The other fantasized about living a life of luxury as the “father” of a superstar, using Xie Ci as an ATM for endless gambling funds to slap the faces of those who looked down on him.

They were like leeches in the mud, greedily plotting how to squeeze every drop of blood and profit from Xie Ci.

Though there were only a few pages of chat logs, every word laid bare their greed. A-Le felt nauseous; remembering the threats she received after her own termination, her heart ached. When one suffers alone, they can grit their teeth and endure, but seeing someone else suffering the same way creates a resonance like a poked nerve—a deep, bone-searing pain.

A-Le looked at Xie Ci, her eyes filled with a fierce determination. “What is your plan? If it’s to ruin Wang Mingde, I’m the first to join.”

As soon as she spoke, a document was pushed toward her.

“These are copies of the evidence I’ve gathered over the past few days. It includes threatening chat logs from Wang Mingde and the recording from earlier all of which serve as proof of him using his position as a manager to threaten artists.” Xie Ci’s voice remained gentle but powerful.

A-Le swallowed hard, moved by his words, but a shred of worry remained. “Why did you find me? And doing this… aren’t you afraid of public opinion online?”

Xie Ci understood her concern. “We both know what kind of man Wang Mingde is. Besides, there’s no sense in guarding against a thief forever.” He took a sip of tea. “To deal with such a person, we must nail him down with evidence so he can never rise again or appear in our lives.”

A-Le was stunned. She couldn’t imagine that the Xie Ci who used to hide in corners a few months ago could speak with such decisive power.

Knowing her financial difficulties, Xie Ci didn’t just give her empty words. He handed her a stack of cash. When she tried to refuse, he stopped her softly. “This is 10,000 yuan. Don’t refuse. This isn’t for free; consider it the retainer for the help I’ll need from you.”

In the corner of the tea room, a faint scent of sandalwood drifted from a cheap incense stick. Xie Ci detailed his plan: “I have already contacted a legal team to gather evidence of Wang Mingde’s crimes over the years. My manager and assistant are contacting other victims. Once the evidence chain is complete, I will be the lead accuser. All other witnesses will use pseudonyms to ensure your privacy is protected.”

He looked into A-Le’s eyes. “What I need from you is the evidence of his long-term coercion against you.”

A-Le’s heart tightened as she remembered the chat logs she had kept as a last resort. She shivered and fell silent. Xie Ci didn’t press her, quietly waiting for her to make her choice.

After a long time, once the tea had gone cold, A-Le finally spoke: “Okay. I agree. But like you, I want to sue him using my real name.” It took immense courage to say this; her eyes filled with tears, and her shoulders shook.

Xie Ci handed her a tissue and sighed softly. “A-Le, no one can ruin our lives. After this is resolved, if you are willing, you can contact Xiao Ya and work as my assistant. One day, we will see these bad people punished.”

A-Le could no longer hold back. Sobbing, she took out her phone and sent a recording she had hidden for a long time. “This… this was recorded by a friend of mine who was just like me. Listen to it when you get back.” Her voice was desolate. “I’m a useless person. I didn’t have the courage to use this to get justice for her. I…”

She choked up, unable to finish. Xie Ci blinked hard to suppress his rage, took a deep breath, and comforted her: “You aren’t useless. You’ve already taken the first step. We just… need a little more time.”

That night, in a brightly lit hotel room near the film base, Xie Ci, Mo Li, and Xiao Ya sat together listening to the recording.

The dialogue was blurry, but words like “blacklist,” “shelve,” and “make the boss happy” were piercingly clear. Toward the end, other male voices appeared, mixed with a girl’s struggling cries.

The recording cut off. After a long silence, Xie Ci spoke: “A-Le said this girl has already passed away. She jumped from the tenth floor.”

“That damn Wang Mingde! How many people has he ruined!” Xiao Ya’s eyes were red, her teeth bared in anger.

Mo Li’s tone was also heavy. Since Xie Ci told him everything last night, he had contacted a professional legal team and set a detailed plan. Simultaneously, using the name of Zhang Yunjiang’s studio, he found a PR team to prepare for the fallout.

“Xiao Ci, the lawyers have signed the contract. We are sorting the evidence. Once we find more victims and complete the chain, we can sue.” Mo Li handed the contract to Xie Ci.

Just as Xie Ci took it, a message from Zhuang Ming popped up.

Zhuang Ming: That Wang guy bought a flight for Dad. Mom is packing his bags. He says he’s coming to B City to demand an ‘explanation’ from you.

Below the message was a video Zhuang Ming shot through a door crack. In it, Zhuang Chengcai sat on a ragged sofa, smoking a cigarette. He barked into the phone at Wang Mingde: “Three thousand? How is three thousand enough? I’m only willing to deal with that brat to help you. Such a long distance, three thousand won’t do!”

He was acting like a total thug. Wang Mingde, needing him to pressure Xie Ci, could only suppress his anger. “Don’t be so greedy! Remember, if I hadn’t given you this info, you wouldn’t even have his contact!”

Zhuang Chengcai snorted. “I don’t care. I want money. Once I have it, I’ll drag him to you by his ears if I have to. No money, no talk!”

“Fine, fine! Remember what I said. One thousand more, and the rest you can ask your son for in B City!” Wang Mingde hung up, leaving only Zhuang Chengcai’s grumbling in the video.

Xie Ci replied: Follow him. Act like you’re coming to get money too. Tell him someone else contacted you to find me drive a wedge between him and Wang Mingde. Contact me if anything happens.

After sending the message, Xie Ci transferred another sum of money to Zhuang Ming. He clenched his fists, waiting for the battle tomorrow.

The next day, after Xie Ci finished a confrontation scene with the male lead for Episode 19, he saw a string of missed calls while resting in the dressing room. He dialed back, and a torrent of abuse erupted from the other end.

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