Chapter 217 - Hitting The Rock Bottom (1)
Qin Muyao knew that he had just hit rock bottom, and everyone couldn't wait for their turn to hit him with their nasty words and comments, as if they knew the truth.
A week after the scandal erupted, he had lost not only his friends but also his career overnight. Those people who had fawned over him in the past were the first ones to condemn him for abandoning his ex-girlfriend.
When he was still basking in glory, so many of them sucked up to him, asking for favors one after another. He'd been a fool to believe that by showing kindness to others, they would also treat him a little better in the future.
What's worse was, there wasn't a single person in the industry, except for his mother, who believed his words.
Even the media and reporters were fanning the flames to make sure he would be blacklisted from the industry for good. They were only interested in spreading Jiang Li's claims against Qin Muyao and painted him as a shameless person who refused to take responsibility when the raw rice was cooked overnight.
As for his loyal fans, they had been mum, not knowing what to say to defend him since they would also receive a harsh backlash whenever they tried to defend him. They were immediately branded as brainless, and anyone who tried to stand up for Qin Muyao was attacked viciously on the internet by these so-called righteous people who wanted him out of the entertainment industry.
"Xiao Yao." His mother called him out, reminding him not to be impulsive this time. They couldn't afford to make another enemy this time.
Her eyes were rimmed red from crying. Miss Huo had been in a lot of stress lately, not knowing what to do to console her son.
Qin Muyao dropped the contract on the coffee table in front of him and held his head with both his hands. He was fuming with rage, but what else could he do to save himself from this controversy? He was already cornered!
"You really can do that?" He asked again. "You do know what kind of family you'll be facing because of me, right?"
They had tried to reason things out, but no one was willing to hear their explanation, as everyone was eager to persecute him, calling him names beyond imagination.
Su Xiaofei crossed her legs and rested her chin on one hand as she regarded the young actor. A small smile crossed on her lips. Qin Muyao really didn't have any options left this time.
"Mr. Qin. I suppose I need to introduce myself again. I'm Su Xiaofei, a talent manager from Bluemedia, daughter of the owner and the granddaughter of the respected Yun family. Would the Jiang family be bold enough to harm and bully someone like me without facing repercussions?"
The mother and son looked at her in surprise. No wonder this young woman was brave enough to step forward. It's because the esteemed Yun family wasn't one that anyone was willing to offend.
"Our Yun family upholds moral standards. We cannot just turn a blind eye when someone is suffering from injustice." She added.
"You believe that I'm not the one who fathered Jiang Li's child?" Qin Muyao asked her. He and Jiang Li had been in an on and off relationship for the past two years. He had never thought that their relationship would take this horrible turn.
"I do." Su Xiaofei nodded. "It's idiotic to think that only men are capable of cheating, right?"
Jiang Li wasn't truly the victim in this case anyway. Women like her were the kind of people Su Xiaofei despised the most. They were crying foul over the media when she was the one who had put a green hat on Qin Muyao's head.
Qin Muyao fell silent on that. Indeed, it was his fault for still accepting and forgiving Jiang Li the first time he caught her lying and cheating on him. Because of his busy schedule for the past three months, they barely saw each other and only met each other a month ago.
Jiang Li claimed that she was twelve weeks pregnant with his child, but how could she possibly get pregnant by him when they hadn't seen each other lately? She even went as far as accusing him of terminating her pregnancy.
She had been seeing other men behind his back whenever he wasn't around and their close acquaintances made him aware of it. At first, Qin Muyao didn't want to believe it, but as photos and videos of her started appearing with some random men, the feelings he had for her started to cool down.
Jiang Li had repeatedly begged him to give her another chance, that she would treat him better in the future. However, Qin Muyao should have known that a leopard never changes its spots and Jiang Li would need to take responsibility for her own actions.
Things had become complicated and spiraled to the cancellation of his projects and his endorsements, one after another. The biggest blow was that his agency decided to cancel his contract without giving him a chance to explain himself.
Jiang Li was clever and sly. She misled people into believing that she was the victim and Qin Muyao was the cold-hearted person who abandoned her after learning that she was pregnant. However, these were merely verbal accusations, and she hadn't shown any evidence to back up her claims.
Still, Qin Muyao's reputation had taken a hit by this controversy. Regardless if Jiang Li presented evidence or not, her mere acting in front of the camera was able to move people to take her side.
"This wouldn't be easy to fix, Manager Su." He said after a long silence between them.
"At the moment, everyone is taking Jiang Li's side, mudslinging your name. Your previous agency couldn't handle the heat and the pressure they were getting from the public.. However, if you accept my condition, I promise that you will get so much more in the future."