Zheng Chong Is Arrested

That night, Zheng Chong slept exceptionally well. Before dawn, he was already awake, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and watching the sun rise.

By the time the sky had fully brightened, he had packed everything up. When the time came, he drove to Changyue and, with the secretary leading the way, arrived at the president’s office.

He knocked and went in, glancing around the room. There was only Yan Yue inside.

“President Zheng?” Yan Yue smiled faintly. “You made a special trip to Changyue, so I assume you have something important to discuss.”

She casually closed the file in her hand, rose to her feet, and invited him to sit on the sofa across from her.

“Thank you, Director Yan. I just happened to be passing by, and I thought I’d stop in for a chat. I hope you’ll support my decision,” Zheng Chong said.

“Go on,” Yan Yue said, pouring tea for both of them with practiced ease.

“I have some personal reasons, so I’m afraid I’ll have to leave Huanfeng. I’ll bring it up at tomorrow’s board meeting. I know this is sudden, which is why I came to tell you first.” Zheng Chong sounded troubled, watching Yan Yue’s reaction. She did not seem surprised at all.

“President Zheng has made a great contribution to Huanfeng. To leave so suddenly would be a huge loss for the company,” Yan Yue said after taking a sip of tea.

Zheng Chong sighed. “There’s really nothing I can do. Of course I’d be very willing to keep giving Huanfeng my full effort, but life is unpredictable, and my family situation is complicated. I have no choice but to leave.”

“You’ve worked at Huanfeng for more than ten years now, haven’t you?” Yan Yue set down her teacup and asked leisurely.

The question made Zheng Chong wary at first, but then he remembered that as a Changyue director, she would naturally have looked into their records. There was nothing strange about it.

“Yes, eleven years and three months,” he said almost automatically.

Yan Yue gave a soft laugh. Her phone suddenly lit up with a message. She glanced at it casually, making no effort to hide it. When she looked back at Zheng Chong, he behaved very properly and turned his eyes away, taking small sips of tea.

“President Zheng remembers it so clearly; it seems you’d already made up your mind,” Yan Yue said.

Zheng Chong’s face showed reluctance. “After all, I’ve worked here for so many years. Every step I took was solidly earned, from a junior employee to where I am now. The bitterness along the way—how could that be explained in just a few words?”

He glanced at Yan Yue, but she was still wearing the same mild smile, not interrupting him, listening quietly.

Unease flickered in his heart. For the first time, he felt that this director might not be as simple as he had imagined. “Before I came, I carefully reviewed the past few years. I really do hate to leave, but there’s nothing I can do.”

After a long silence, Yan Yue finally spoke.

“In that case, I wish President Zheng every success in your new venture, and hope you achieve all your ambitions.” As she spoke, she stood.

Zheng Chong stood as well, exchanged a few words of thanks, then turned and left.

The moment he stepped outside, he straightened his back, smoothed the hem of his suit, and strode away at an unhurried pace.

Yan Yue listened to his footsteps fade into the distance, then looked at the teacup Zheng Chong had used and stared at it for a long while. After that, she rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, letting out a long breath.

All the way there, Zheng Chong was humming to himself, feeling particularly pleased. Sunlight streamed through the car window; he lifted a hand and warmed it on both sides.

Just then, his phone rang. He answered it casually, not knowing what was said on the other end, when his face suddenly went deathly pale. A moment later, he slammed the phone against the car door with a bang; still not satisfied, he punched the steering wheel hard.

The mask of kindness and generosity he usually wore shattered into pieces, revealing his true, ugly face.

He forced himself to calm down and think of a response, then hurriedly picked up the phone with its cracked screen and, with trembling fingers, dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly.

“Book me the fastest flight. Anywhere, I don’t care. Fast!” he snapped, turning the wheel and accelerating toward the airport.

The person on the other end asked something else, and Zheng Chong finally lost control. His emotions exploded at once. “What do you mean, what happened?! There are a bunch of police waiting at my house right now. I should be the one asking you that. Did you sell those things to Changyue or not, you fucking bastard!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? I’d be delighted if you left Huanfeng as soon as possible. How dare you suspect me?”

The woman’s words made Zheng Chong regain a little reason. It was not the time to fall out with her yet. Changyue must have gotten hold of some weakness of his; still, as long as those things didn’t leak out, he would be fine. The Xu Family would protect him.

“So all that scheming, all that planning, was for nothing! Damn it, that filthy woman looked so easy to fool, but she’s vicious as hell behind the scenes. If I hadn’t kept a backup plan, I’d have walked right into the trap and delivered myself to the door,” he said, breathing hard.

After hanging up, he floored the accelerator.

Inside Changyue’s president’s office, Yan Yue hung up and returned the phone to Ye Bai, leaning back slightly in her chair. “Zheng Chong went to the airport.”

“The airport? How would Qian Wei know, and how did he get the news so quickly?” Ye Bai asked.

Yan Yue tapped her fingers lightly against the desk. “Someone told him.”

“Who?” Ye Bai asked.

Yan Yue shook her head. “Along with the message sent to Qian Wei were some pieces of evidence even we hadn’t found. Those things are enough to keep Zheng Chong from ever getting back up.”

“At a time like this? Isn’t that too much of a coincidence?” Ye Bai frowned. “Someone who knows Qian Wei’s contact information, and who knows so much about Zheng Chong… is it one of Huanfeng’s artists?”

Yan Yue neither agreed nor denied it. “Zheng Chong didn’t go straight home; someone tipped him off. That person is in Changyue. Go check it out.”

Ye Bai agreed and quickly left.

The office was left with only her. Yan Yue took off her silver-rimmed glasses and rubbed her brow.

Zheng Chong’s matter had been resolved even faster than she had expected. With that tumor removed, Huanfeng would no longer be dragged down by him.

But over the years, Huanfeng Century’s reputation had already fallen far from what it had once been. Several other agencies had long since caught up and overtaken it. Besides having artists who could stand on their own, they also needed an excellent leadership team.

She thought about it again and again; gradually, an idea took shape.

The news that Zheng Chong had been arrested and imprisoned on suspicion of stealing trade secrets quickly shot to the hot search, shocking people and, in the same breath, stirring up discussion of Huanfeng Century.

Then the police continued listing the crimes he had committed in the past, each one more astonishing than the last.

Very soon, netizens also noticed the incident from several years ago involving Cen Qingqing’s jump.

The truth, buried for so long, was revealed one by one before the world through the calm, objective retelling.

The comment section was flooded with abuse. The only difference was that this time, the one being cursed was Zheng Chong.

【He’s worse than a pig or a dog! A beast!! Bring out all the ten tortures and give them to him!!!】

【When the avalanche comes, no snowflake is innocent… I’m going to do more good deeds for the rest of my life. I was so horribly wrong. Such a good person…】

【I knew it. My idol never let me down, but now… no one even knows where she’s buried.】

As the discussion continued, it turned toward Huanfeng Century. A large number of netizens rushed to the official account to curse them, while others quickly dug up Changyue Group and went there to thank them.

But soon, sharp-eyed netizens discovered that the largest shareholder of Huanfeng Century and a director of Changyue Group were actually the same person. The name “Yan Yue” was quickly dug up. After her photos were found, the comments drifted off in another direction.

【Hmm, this... saying something bold under the official account shouldn’t get me arrested, right?】

【Sister, I’m twenty-five this year, unmarried, and I have no bad habits. Although I’m a girl, I can also be a boy.】

【If I’m not mistaken, the person above seems to be a year or two older…】

Then someone posted several of Yan Yue’s life photos. The angles made it obvious they were paparazzi shots, and that stirred up yet another wave of people rushing to leave confessions on Huanfeng Century’s and Changyue Group’s official accounts. The comments were all kinds of wild.

Gradually, the discussion spread like uncontrollable water. Changyue’s official account and Huanfeng’s official account had no choice but to step in and moderate the comments before the focus of the incident could be pulled back to Zheng Chong.

Su Yan saw the news before Qin Qingyan did. The moment she saw it, overwhelming joy wrapped around her, and she burst into tears from excitement.

Qin Qingyan then read the report through as well, and of course she was equally happy.

When she returned to her room, she did not continue studying the script. Instead, she scrolled through the netizens’ comments. When she saw a few photos of Yan Yue among them, she carefully opened them and stared at them for a long time.

Yan Yue was even better than she had imagined; even more impressive.

Not long after the uproar spread, another wave of public opinion emerged, this one questioning Huanfeng Century and smearing Yan Yue personally.

【There’s been someone like this inside Huanfeng Century for so long; how many artists must have suffered because of it? And honestly, I don’t believe Zheng Chong was the only one. Huanfeng Century really has too many dirty secrets.】

【Could it be that Chairman Yan Yue saw Huanfeng getting worse by the day and deliberately created something to draw attention? After all, Cen Qingqing’s matter was from years ago. Did they really need to wait until today to investigate Zheng Chong?】

【But wasn’t that director only just back in the country? Cleaning house also takes time to gather evidence, right? How could it possibly be this fast?】

Qin Qingyan kept scrolling. She wanted to speak up for Yan Yue, but she didn’t have a burner account. Though she wasn’t famous, her Weibo still wasn’t suitable for her to speak out on.

Suddenly, her finger stopped. She looked carefully at the newest comment.

【Huanfeng’s female artists make up the majority; as far as I know, most of the rising stars in recent years came from there. But I heard from someone who knows her that Yan Yue is a homosexual, so those young women and girls would inevitably suffer at her hands.】

【I’m a rich second generation, tall enough and handsome. When I went with my dad to talk business, I met her and even confessed to her. I heard her admit herself that she likes girls. There’s no washing this clean.】

【Why wash it? Have you washed the eyes you used to see that with?】

【She can reject someone with those conditions? Doesn’t that just prove she’s even more clean and proper? The person above was actually on our side all along.】

【Sorry, but after learning she likes girls, I’m even more excited. Nosebleed, nosebleed.】

Yan Yue was also reading the comments. When she scrolled to the first one saying she was a homosexual, she clicked on the location; it showed Dongcheng District. Not many people knew about this matter, and back then the Yan family had suppressed a lot of the rumors, so only a few families had heard anything.

If she remembered correctly, Dongcheng District was where the Xu Family lived. It seemed Zheng Chong’s father-in-law really did think highly of him.