Chapter 223: He Xingzhou’s Name is Cleared
You Jie left a good impression on her. She didn’t expect him to backstab He Xingzhou.
He Xingzhou was silent for a while. He wouldn’t tell it if it was anyone else, but Yun Xiangxiang helped him out a lot in this.
“You Jie is my senior. Someone played a hand in him taking and getting addicted to drugs. I have always hoped he could kick the cold turkey sometime…”
Yun Xiangxiang only knew the whole story when He Xingzhou told her.
Someone caused You Jie to get addicted to drugs. He Xingzhou found him when he was doing it. He Xingzhou kept it a secret for him, but he also advised him to quit doing drugs. But it was too difficult for him.
He Xingzhou suggested that You Jie go into rehab. But he was at the peak of his popularity back then. If he went to rehab, it would spell the end of him.
He Xingzhou thought otherwise. He thought You Jie would win more respect if he stood up and fought as You Jie was backstabbed in the first place.
When nothing came of their several arguments and someone reported You Jie doing drugs not long after, he thought He Xingzhou was the whistleblower.
When He Xingzhou became popular after You Jie’s retreat, You Jie could never believe He Xingzhou’s explanation.
When You Jie came back, he was already a has-been. Coupled with his bad history, he could never regain his fame. The difference in treatment and the mockery of some depressed him further. When he saw how popular He Xingzhou was, he naturally felt more maligned.
Pushed by his condition, his old addiction reared its head again. He found his old dealer and made a deal with him. He would help them sell drugs in the circle and create more customers for him, while they would help him backstab He Xingzhou.
He Xingzhou’s friends who were arrested used to hang out with You Jie. They were the best of friends when You Jie was still a nobody.
You Jie turned them into customers for the drug dealers. They were manipulated by You Jie to backstab He Xingzhou so that they could get their next fix.
He had laid this trap for two years, yet He Xingzhou didn’t even notice.
“He must not know you’re the young master of Xing Yu,” Yun Xiangxiang sighed softly.
Xing Yu would have supported He Xingzhou first. If it wasn’t because he wanted to rely on himself, You Jie wouldn’t even have had the chance to shine.
You Jie thought He Xingzhou used him as a stepping stone on his rise to fame. But He Xingzhou was the one without fault here.
He Xingzhou skipped out on many details. A big part of the story was related to some trade secrets. He couldn’t tell Yun Xiangxiang those.
“He wouldn’t have been like this if he was just broad-minded enough.” He Xingzhou matured thanks to this mess.
“Please cheer up soon, Xingzhou. You are out of the woods now. Everyone will have one or two toxic friends in their lives.” Noticing He Xingzhou’s depressed mood, Yun Xiangxiang consoled him.
“With so many years in our lives, bumping into a few rotten apples is normal. We just have to remember the good and forget the bad.”
He Xingzhou thought about it for a while before agreeing. “You’re right. I can’t negate myself because of one bad choice. I might have known a toxic guy like You Jie, but I have also met a great person like you.”
“That’s right. Don’t cry over life’s ugliness. Smile for its beauty,” Yun Xiangxiang smiled.
“I’ll be using that as a motto. That’s a remarkable mindset you have there,” He Xingzhou admired that.
He felt ashamed knowing Yun Xiangxiang already understood this at her age.
Yun Xiangxiang hung up happily after she chatted with him a while more.
Now everything that troubled her was solved. He Xingzhou was acquitted of all charges, and the incident with the crew was unrelated to her.
The attack on Du Changrong was a blessing in disguise for him. Not only was he uninjured, he even found out a conspiracy in the crew that involved props.
Ai Li was discharged on the third day of He Xingzhou’s release, and they returned to the hotel. On that day, Wu Zhao released an announcement stating the screening of the historical epic, “The King’s Plan” during the golden week of Labor’s Day holiday. He tagged Sun Qiluo, He Xingzhou, Hou Cang, and Lu Jin.
All four of them reposted it to promote the film. The promotional poster was released too.
As the main protagonist, Lu Jin stood in the middle. He Xingzhou was on his left, while Hou Cang was on his right. Sun Qiluo stood beside Hou Cang.
Lu Jin took up three sevenths of the poster, while He Xingzhou took up two sevenths. Hou Cang and Sun Qiluo took up the remaining space.
A long-haired Yun Xiangxiang was above all four of them, but there was only the look of her back.
Lu Jin and the others had their names and the roles they played displayed on the poster. Only Yun Xiangxiang didn’t have her name written. Instead, her character, “Madam Xi,” was displayed.
They were also front-facing in their own individual posters. Only Yun Xiangxiang’s character was seen from the back.
As He Xingzhou’s case was a hot topic, now that he was absurdly quiet after his release, everyone assumed he was hurt by all the cyberbullying. The eyes of the internet were now on him.
As he had been quiet, his sudden announcement of appearing in a new film played a prominent role in promoting “The King’s Plan.”
Most people never even heard of this piece of history before. They only found out Madam Xi was a drop-dead gorgeous lady after researching about it on Baidu [1].
The netizens went to the director’s and the leads’ Weibo to ask about the actress who played Madam Xi.
He Xingzhou replied: My wife’s beauty is peerless.
Hou Cang replied: Madam Xi makes me drool.
Lu Jin replied: I can turn my back on the world if it’s for Madam Xi.
Sun Qiluo replied: I backstabbed her because nobody can get what I cannot!
The netizen burst out laughing at the replies. Along with their laughter, their curiosity toward Madam Xi grew.
Out of boredom, many started making lists of actresses who could both play as gorgeous ladies and were in the same league as Lu Jin.
Li Man topped most of the rankings with her looks, becoming the one with the most supporters behind her.
Most people thought it was impossible, as the cast would be too star-studded. But some thought it possible, as the director was Wu Zhao.
Yun Xiangxiang’s fans who shipped the “Yunlu” ship were envious. How great would it be if Madam Xi is played by our Xiangxiang!
But they kept it to themselves. Everyone needed to know where they stood. Yun Xiangxiang might be a rising star, but even Sun Qiluo was a supporting character in this film. And Yun Xiangxiang wasn’t in Sun Qiluo’s league. With that knowledge, not even Yun Xiangxiang’s fans thought she would play the part, let alone anyone else.
Yun Xiangxiang was happy about it. She concentrated on filming.
After “The King’s Plan” was promoted, Wu Zhao brought Lu Jin and the others on a national roadshow, going through the big cities in China.
He Xingzhou contributed a lot in terms of attention garnered for “The King’s Plan.” Everyone was concerned about him.
When he looked as jovial as usual when he promoted the film, he attracted even more fans.
This was probably what they meant by “blessing in disguise.” On the other hand, Yun Xiangxiang didn’t reveal her involvement in the film.
Which meant the roadshows were none of her business. The other leads in “The King’s Plan” chat group were constantly envious of her.
Promotional work was tiring. They had to face the media outlets head-on, interact with fans, as well as deal with the multitude of emergencies. It was more terrifying than the actual filming.
When she thought about it, Yun Xiangxiang felt that she was lucky. She didn’t have to do any promotional work for all four of her films.