The Scumbag A Really Doesn't Want to Become Famous [Entertainment Circle] - Chapter 25

Liang Yitang felt someone tug at her. When she turned to look, Ye Miaoyi’s gaze was no longer on her. Instead, Ye Miaoyi was instructing the paparazzi, “Make sure you capture all of this clearly.”

Ye Jibai covered his face and shouted, “Don’t you dare film this!”

He glared hatefully at Yu Youqing. “Yu Youqing, you’ve really grown bold, haven’t you? You think you can hit me here today and get away with it? And you even brought her.” He pointed at Ye Miaoyi. “This useless omega sister of mine, who should be married off instead of meddling in things that don’t concern her.”

Yu Youqing flexed her wrist. “Do you want another slap?”

The force she had used earlier was so strong that Ye Jibai’s face still bore the mark.

Ye Jibai felt a strong metallic scent in his nose. When he wiped it, his hand came away covered in blood.

Seeing Ye Jibai about to lunge at her, Yu Youqing swiftly sprayed inhibitor mist in his face and deftly positioned herself behind the paparazzi’s cameras. “Film him.”

Liang Yitang watched in stunned silence as the spray took immediate effect, and the oppressive aura around her dissipated.

Liang Yitang’s assistant rushed in shortly after, asking anxiously, “Tangtang! Are you okay?!”

Snapping out of her daze, Liang Yitang felt relief rather than disgust toward the paparazzi for the first time. She raised her voice, “Film everything! Mr. Ye loves coercing female celebrities, how does it feel to be on the receiving end?”

Camera flashes erupted one after another, blindingly bright, capturing every bit of Ye Jibai’s humiliation.

Ye Jibai’s subordinates wanted to intervene, but with Ye Miaoyi present, they didn’t dare move.

Ye Jibai’s head buzzed with rage. He roared, “You dare stand in my way?! Do you know who I am? You want to go against the Ye family?!”

Yu Youqing massaged her sore wrist, clicking her tongue in disdain before grabbing a wet wipe from the table to clean her hands. Surveying the mess, she ignored Liang Yitang and walked out with Ye Miaoyi.

Liang Yitang followed.

Behind them, Ye Jibai waved his men to block the paparazzi. “If any of you dare leak today’s events, consider your careers over.”

Liang Yitang caught up to Yu Youqing, her expression conflicted. “Hey, stop.”

Yu Youqing turned. “What?”

Liang Yitang bristled at her indifferent attitude, which snuffed out the flicker of gratitude she had felt. Still, if Yu Youqing hadn’t stepped in, she would’ve been forced to drink by Ye Jibai.

“Those photos won’t get out. I heard Ye Jibai silencing everyone on my way out,” Liang Yitang said, her words of thanks stuck in her throat. Seeing Yu Youqing’s apparent lack of concern, she added, “Aren’t you afraid of making things worse for yourself by provoking him?”

Yu Youqing smirked. “How strange. Shouldn’t you be gloating over my misfortune? After all, this won’t affect you.”

Though Liang Yitang had been present, she had only lost a endorsement deal. The one who had thrown the punch wasn’t her, so Ye Jibai’s retaliation wouldn’t target her.

Liang Yitang scowled. “Forget it! Pretend I never said anything.”

Yu Youqing gave an acknowledging “Oh” and watched as Liang Yitang took two steps forward before quickly turning back to say, “Thanks, I’m off.”

Yu Youqing was baffled by this sudden gratitude, finding it increasingly peculiar.

Since when did Liang Yitang thank her? Weren’t they supposed to be sworn rivals?

Ye Miaoyi stepped closer. “Maybe Ye Jibai’s provocation changed her personality or something.”

Yu Youqing shook her head, equally clueless. After leaving with Ye Miaoyi and getting into the car, they soon received a message.

Ye Miaoyi showed Yu Youqing the video on her phone footage of Yu Youqing punching Ye Jibai until his nose bled, along with his damning remarks, all clearly recorded.

“How’s this?”

Yu Youqing smiled. “Perfect. Wishing you all the best.”

Ye Miaoyi patted her chest. “Leave it to me.”

–

That evening, a newly created gossip account on Touchbo posted a heavily blurred video with the explosive headline:

[Xiao Le’s Exclusive: Shocking attempted casting couch incident at a celebrity bar tonight! A rising starlet in the capital circle lured a newcomer actress under the guise of contract talks, only to get beaten up by the actress’s friend! Even scriptwriters wouldn’t dare make this up!]

The account was brand-new, and the video was meticulously censored faces blurred, voices distorted.

The clip initially showed just two figures, clearly a man and a woman. The man, his face obscured, gripped the wrist of a long-curled-haired woman in a dress, her reluctance palpable. Shattered glass littered the floor near her heels as fragmented audio played:

“You’re not afraid I’ll expose this?!”

“Go ahead,  try it. You’re not the first to threaten me.”

“Don’t you want that endorsement?”

Though the rest was muffled, these three lines stood out deliberately enhanced painting an unmistakable picture.

This was textbook exploitation!

Tension spiked when the suited man violently yanked the woman toward him.

Then, another figure burst into frame dressed casually but moving with precision, landing a punch square on the man’s nose.

A voice snarled: “What’s wrong with hitting you? It’s not my first time.”

[Holy shit, is this real?!]

[Girls supporting girls!!! I need a ride-or-die like this]

[Wait, that’s it?! The one who stormed in was an omega, right? She just decked an alpha!]

[That wrist-crack and ‘Want another?’ line? Iconic. Definitely an alpha, wife material!]

[Who’s the actress? OP’s hints are strong, anyone know who’s up for new endorsements lately? And who’s this ‘rising capital star’?]

[That guy’s arrogance suggests he’s preyed on multiple women in the industry.]

[OP, if you’ve got more tea, spill it! We’ll boost this trend.]

[This feels legit. Probably using a burner account to avoid takedowns, bet it’ll get scrubbed soon.]

[That actress getting manhandled, she looks familiar. Fans would recognize her, right?]

“Damn, I just remembered, among the female celebrities actively taking endorsements lately, isn’t Yu Youqing one of them?”

“Don’t even joke about that. No way it could be Yu Youqing, no matter who it is.”

“Three seconds someone tell me who this heroic best friend is! I need all the info on this badass alpha!”

As the discussion grew, the post suddenly vanished, and the rising hashtag was taken down.

But barely ten minutes later, an account called “Xiaole Leaks 2.0” reposted the exact same content.

“Here we go, folks. Found the new account.”

“I didn’t believe it at first, but now that it’s been deleted, I’m convinced. Classic investor manipulation.”

“This is disgusting. Who the hell is it?! They’re definitely watching now, so screenshot while you can, the video can’t be saved. I screen-recorded it.”

“Is this female celeb’s best friend okay? Will they come after her? Is she in the industry too?”

“Definitely. I know that bar, it’s the one celebrities frequent.”

“That slap was chef’s kiss textbook perfect. Brutal!”

“Casual outfit. If I had to think of a female artist who dresses like that, only one name comes to mind.”

“?????”

“Hey, you and I are on the same wavelength, huh?”

“Wait,  that long curly hair, those heels, that dress, doesn’t that look like Liang Yitang?”

“?”

“Remember that variety show Yu Youqing and Liang Yitang did together? They even coordinated outfits. Aren’t they close?”

“No way. Fans said Yu Youqing was just acting.”

“This is just girls supporting girls! We have to expose this person!”

By the time the comments hit a few hundred, the account was banned again.

“Not bad!” Yu Youqing smirked at the “content unavailable” message on her phone. “The netizens are sharp today.”

Her name had been brought up, but no one believed she’d do something like this for Liang Yitang.

She knew Ye Jibai would keep suppressing the posts, no matter how many accounts popped up. But it didn’t matter, this was just the beginning.

A lot of people speculated the assailant had to be an alpha.

Yu Youqing lifted the hand she’d used to throw the punch, examining it.

She recalled Jiang Musheng once saying she didn’t seem like a scummy alpha at all that she’d never pull off the role.

Well,  did she seem a little more convincing now?

Not that she could ask Jiang Musheng. She was busy, and by tomorrow, this whole thing would be buried.

Still, she’d hit harder than intended, and her wrist was starting to ache. But Ye Jibai’s words and actions had been so infuriating, she couldn’t hold back.

It felt good.

Ye Miaoyi texted her: “The Ye family is in chaos.”

“Anyone could tell it was Ye Jibai’s doing. The family’s furious, he thought he’d paid everyone off, but he never expected us to have the full video.”

“An artist truly can’t compete with the Ye family, but with this in my hands, if they don’t hand over Wind to me, I can ruin Ye Jibai’s reputation. To protect themselves, the Ye family will have no choice but to swallow this bitter pill. Your hand must be hurting, isn’t it?”

Yu Youqing replied cheerfully: “Once you turn Wind into a top-tier brand and secure my jewelry line, the pain will be worth it.”

Ye Miaoyi: “Absolutely!”

Yu Youqing then recalled how Liang Yitang had thanked her before leaving. That woman probably thought she’d gone there specifically to stand up for her, as if!

From the moment she learned Liang Yitang was meeting Ye Jibai, her only goal had been to capture this incriminating footage. Even if it had been someone completely unrelated to her, Yu Youqing would have gone to beat Ye Jibai up.

Liang Yitang just happened to appear tonight, conveniently becoming an actor in this premeditated drama.

The videos would be repeatedly posted and deleted throughout the night by both the Ye family and the people Yu Youqing and Ye Miaoyi had arranged to do so.

Yu Youqing understood the rules of this game better than Ye Miaoyi: the more something appears to be suppressed, the more people believe it’s true, and the stronger their outrage becomes.

The footage was blurred no one would recognize her. But the Ye family would know exactly whose handiwork this was. With the scandal at its peak and Ye Jibai freshly promoted by the family, this exposure would render him worthless and drag the entire Ye name through the mud.

To protect their reputation, the Ye family would have to comply with all their demands.

And this footage would remain forever in Ye Miaoyi’s possession.

After her shower, Yu Youqing noticed her wrist was still slightly swollen.

She’d bumped it against the table corner after slapping Ye Jibai, too focused to feel it then, but now relaxed, the discomfort surfaced.

Remembering Jiang Musheng kept a first aid kit in the living room, she went downstairs to search. Finding no ointment inside, she turned to leave when her phone rang.

She nearly dropped it seeing the caller ID, Jiang Musheng, and a video call at that!

Yu Youqing almost didn’t dare pick up.

It was 11:30 PM.

Her first thought: How does Jiang Musheng have this much energy after a packed schedule? Doesn’t she ever sleep?

The call ended before she could answer. A misdial?

Then a message popped up: [Bought some medicine. Left it with the delivery rider at your door. Be careful when retrieving.]

Yu Youqing’s heart skipped a beat.

What did this mean??

Checking the security feed showed an empty hallway. She swiftly opened the door to retrieve a small bag inside, exactly the bruise ointment she needed.

Her mind reeled. The “typing” indicator beneath Jiang Musheng’s name lingered endlessly, as if waiting for her response.

After much deliberation, she deleted two drafted “thank yous” and, adhering to etiquette, called Jiang Musheng instead.

“Teacher Jiang?” Yu Youqing noticed the quietness on the other end, so quiet she could hear steady breathing, which inexplicably made her tense up. “How do you want me to handle these medicines you bought.”

Though for a fleeting moment, she wondered if Jiang Musheng had seen that video, she quickly dismissed the thought.

With such heavy pixelation and voice distortion, who could possibly recognize her? Besides, anyone who even suggested it might be her would face fierce backlash after all, in everyone’s eyes, she wasn’t the type to do such things.

Her hand was injured, and she hadn’t even realized it herself. How could anyone else know?

“Doesn’t your hand hurt?” Jiang Musheng’s tone paused, carrying an inexplicable pressure. But then she sighed, and Yu Youqing could almost hear a hint of resignation. “Follow the instructions and apply it once before bed. Massage it gently, it’ll feel much better by tomorrow.”

Yu Youqing: “?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Teacher Jiang.” Yu Youqing doubled down on playing dumb.

Jiang Musheng cut straight to the point: “I saw it the brave little heroine.”

“But no matter what you do, you should still consider the consequences. Did you think about what might happen when you rushed in?”

Yu Youqing felt an inexplicable guilt. She had no idea how Jiang Musheng had figured it out when even eagle-eyed netizens hadn’t reacted so quickly.

Oh, right was Jiang Musheng here to lecture her about recklessness? Because she’d offended the Ye family?

Just as Yu Youqing was about to speak, she heard the other end murmur, “If you really wanted to fight, why use your fists? You’d just dirty your hands.”

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