NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 17
"I really don't remember if I finished it or not. Should we go back and check?" Yin Zhizhi looked at him with an innocent expression.
Ji Huan let out a cold laugh. He took off his glasses and placed them in the car's storage compartment, then leaned back in his seat in a relaxed manner. "Tomorrow morning I'll take you for an audition, and in the afternoon you'll come back for more training."
This was set in stone.
Yin Zhizhi's face immediately fell.
The price of half a cake.
Oh well.
Yin Zhizhi stopped talking and played with her phone.
Her Weibo was about to be overrun by fans and curious onlookers.
Yin Zhizhi had suddenly posted a message in the evening, telling girls to protect themselves when out, causing her fans and online friends to speculate about what had happened.
["Zhizhi, are you okay now? Are you safe? If you're safe, please let us know. We're all very worried about you."]
["What exactly happened? Did someone try to bully Yin Zhizhi?"]
["I'm imagining that some sasaeng fans were harassing Zhizhi late at night..."]
["If it was sasaeng fans, she probably wouldn't post like this. Why do I feel like it was s.exual harassment??"]
["Zhizhi only announced a variety show schedule, but didn't reveal any other activity plans. I don't know what she was doing tonight, I'm so worried."]
["Eating the drama, I hate it when they only tell half the story. If you want to create hype, then drop the bomb! What's with this half-revealing?"]
["I seriously doubt there was any big deal, she's just posting this to appeal to women's empathy and generate heat."]
Yin Zhizhi briefly looked at the comments. Her fans were comforting and concerned for her, while outsiders were making all sorts of guesses, and the keyboard warriors were criticizing.
"Ji Huan, how long until we get the surveillance footage?"
"Probably in ten to fifteen minutes."
Ji Huan was communicating with people from the company on his phone. He had logged into Xingyao Entertainment's Weibo account, waiting for the surveillance video to come through so he could post it.
Ji Huan was handling the situation and didn't pay attention to Yin Zhizhi playing on her phone next to him.
Yin Zhizhi logged into another WeChat account of hers and found a paparazzo, then sent him an address.
After sending it, the other person saw it and was shown as typing a response.
A glimmer of a smile flashed across Yin Zhizhi's eyes. She calmly deleted the person and logged out.
The hotel for this banquet was a five-star resort in a scenic suburban area. It would take an hour to return to the city center.
Yin Zhizhi was tired, so she put down her phone, leaned back in her seat, and closed her eyes to rest.
On Ji Huan's side, as soon as he received the surveillance footage, he posted it on Xingyao Entertainment's official Weibo account.
He also included words condemning such behavior, and emphasized that Xingyao cherishes each and every one of its artists.
Once the surveillance footage was released, the entire Weibo exploded.
Although people had always heard about the existence of the "casting couch" in the entertainment industry, and heard rumors about who had been a victim of it, and which big director or investor had exploited whom.
But it seemed that until now, there had been no substantial cases exposed.
Not to mention such ironclad evidence - the surveillance footage clearly showed the man who had cornered Yin Zhizhi at the bathroom door.
Yin Zhizhi had come out of the bathroom, still using a tissue to wipe her wet hands, when she was blocked by this man at the door.
The surveillance footage was clear, and included audio.
That investor's vile language disgusted the netizens.
["Oh my god! I'm so disgusted, I've always heard about it but now I've finally seen it with my own eyes. Calling her 'niece' over and over is so creepy."]
["Wanting Yin Zhizhi to call him 'uncle'? Gross, Yin Zhizhi is only nineteen, and she was cornered by this kind of person, yet she stayed calm. That kick at the end was so satisfying!"]
["Yin Zhizhi didn't even panic, that kick was so awesome!"]
["If you want Yin Zhizhi to act, go talk to her agent!! But this guy clearly wasn't there to discuss an acting role..."]
["Getting a lead role and wanting to claim a girl? Has he done this before, which is why he's so confident?"]
["The entertainment industry is deep and murky. So many people are desperate for a lead role."]
["Disgusting, I'm vomiting. Do these capitalists see celebrities as part of their harem to choose from?"]
["Xingyao is awesome, it's no wonder they're the biggest agency. They're firmly protecting their artists!"]
Such a shocking surveillance footage instantly shot to the top of the hot search trends.
#YinZhizhiWasSexuallyHarassed#
Many big influencers came out to condemn the behavior of this person.
Meanwhile, the background of the investor in the surveillance footage was dug up and laid bare.
This investor had invested in several profitable films in recent years, and the lead actresses and supporting actresses who had starred in the films he invested in all panicked and hurriedly issued statements saying they had gained their roles through normal auditions.
Whether people believed their statements was up to the netizens, but even if some didn't believe them, there was no evidence proving they had obtained their roles through improper means.
Dozens of minutes later, official media outlets also weighed in, making veiled criticisms of this incident.
Under Yin Zhizhi's Weibo post telling girls to protect themselves when out, many people poured in expressing sympathy for her.
["Our girl is so awesome, even without anyone to help her, she faced that kind of person without panicking at all. That kick was so satisfying!"]
["Yin Zhizhi, so cool and beautiful. Even wearing an evening gown and high heels didn't stop you from kicking him, great kick!"]
["I feel so bad for our Zhizhi, my heart was in my throat watching that surveillance footage."]
Ji Huan put down his phone as they were approaching Yin Zhizhi's apartment building.
The man rubbed his brow, then put his glasses back on.
"Yin Zhizhi, we're almost at your place."
Ji Huan was handling the situation, but she was actually sleeping, not worried about this at all.
Yin Zhizhi had her head tilted, sleeping with her eyes closed. Her skin was smooth and not made up, even after keeping her makeup on for so long. You could point a high-definition camera right at her face and she'd still look flawless.
The more Ji Huan looked at this face, the more satisfied he was. Although ability determines how far one can go, being good-looking certainly helps one get there faster.
"Yin Zhizhi?"
Ji Huan wanted to wake her up.
Yin Zhizhi drowsily opened her eyes and couldn't help but yawn, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Are we there?"
"Yeah..."
Ji Huan withdrew his gaze.
The car was about to enter the residential area, but from afar they could see a crowd of people gathered at the entrance.
Those people were holding microphones and cameras - they were all paparazzi!!
Ji Huan frowned. "You just returned to the country a few days ago, how did your home address get leaked?"
Yin Zhizhi was confused. "I don't know. What do we do now? The community is surrounded, how can I get home?"