The matter of Qin Yuezhang had already become a closed chapter for Xiao He's side, but for others affected, they had no choice but to deal with the aftermath and make amends.
Xingchen Film Industry.
After Tao Zheng learned about the foolish things his son had done, his blood pressure soared. Sitting in his chair, he pointed a trembling finger at Tao Zidong. "Look at the fine mess you've made—"
Tao Zidong, however, promptly put on an innocent expression. "Dad, you can't blame me for this, right? I just reported Qin Song to the police. The subsequent chain of events that got dragged out are all the result of the Qin family's own lack of integrity and improper conduct. Who could have imagined it would turn out like this?"
He, Tao Zidong, was not going to take the blame for this!
"You idiot, you were used as a pawn, don't you know that?"
Tao Zheng angrily slammed the table.
Although he hadn't yet investigated who was behind the scenes helping Tao Zidong, he knew his own family's affairs. Tao Zheng knew his son didn't have the capability to take down Qin Song.
Originally, he just wanted him to come to the group for some experience, to tussle with those old foxes over there, take a few falls, and then settle down.
But now look, this idiot got lucky!
"I don't believe for a second that the third-rate detective you hired could dig up so much for you!"
"Dad, don't be so tense. Anyway, the matter has reached a conclusion, so why dwell on it so much?"
Tao Zidong, however, was completely nonchalant. "Qin Yuezhang and the Qin family have offended plenty of people, who knows who did it? So what if I was used as a pawn? In the end, we're still the winners, and we get the lion's share of the profits!"
"As for that hacker or whatever, we just throw the private detective under the bus! We can't let the police keep investigating forever, right? As long as he keeps his mouth shut tight, why should we go out of our way to offend some powerful figure?"
Seeing his son's utterly unyielding attitude, Tao Zheng felt like he was about to cough up blood.
But his son's words weren't without reason.
After all, if even the police couldn't trace this hacker, then...
"Forget it, forget it. The Qin family offended too many people, it's hard to say which one of them made the move." Tao Zheng closed his eyes, no longer dwelling on the matter of the higher-ups. "You, right now, immediately deal with the public opinion online! You absolutely cannot let the Qin family's mess continue to hinder the group's development."
"Alright, alright."
Tao Zidong shrugged, utterly carefree.
Seeing his son's sloppy, irresponsible demeanor made Tao Zheng even angrier.
After some thought, he decided he couldn't keep this foolish son in the group, lest he continue to be a ticking time bomb—
"You'll go to Xingchen Entertainment later."
Tao Zheng finally said, "Since you're the one who took down Qin Song, you'll take his position."
As long as he didn't waste that overly abundant energy on the group, it was fine.
"Sounds good to me!"
Tao Zidong instantly got excited. He even struck a pose, flexing his muscles a bit, and said with a smile, "Dad, look at my looks, my background. I'm the real deal, a proper 'Crown Prince of Xingchen,' right?"
From a certain perspective, Tao Zidong was indeed more legitimate than that fake crown prince, Qin Yuezhang.
Tao Zheng's eyebrow twitched. "If you dare to go and do any of that nonsense, I'll break your legs!"
"Don't, don't! Dad, listen to my explanation—"
Tao Zidong finally got a bit more serious. He said earnestly, "Me taking over Qin Song's position, isn't that a hot topic in itself? Netizens already know Qin Yuezhang was a fake. With you as my dad, I'm much more legitimate than him, right?"
"Then we'll create a 'Real vs. Fake Crown Prince' hot search topic, do a bit of marketing, redirect everyone's attention back to the gossip about Xingchen Entertainment. Then I'll do something to restore our reputation. Wouldn't that both demonstrate the group's stance and divert the netizens' attention?"
Though Tao Zidong was a bit of a scoundrel, he wasn't truly stupid. In a way, he was actually one of the smartest types.
After hearing Tao Zidong's words, the deep furrow in Tao Zheng's brow finally relaxed a little.
Clearly, he was also satisfied with the strategy Tao Zidong proposed.
Moreover, Tao Zidong's public profile was quite impressive. His overseas study experience was also good. Once this wave of controversy passed, he could better establish himself at Xingchen Entertainment.
So after pondering for a moment, Tao Zheng directly gave his approval. "Fine, you go handle it properly."
"Roger that—" Tao Zidong waved his hand. "Mission guaranteed!"
Two days later, the new person in charge of Xingchen Entertainment officially took office and released a public statement. They announced they would compensate the victims related to the Qin Yuezhang incident, but would also pursue legal action against those who maliciously spread rumors and slandered the group and the company during the chaos.
This included several of Qin Yuezhang's exes, and also some low-tier celebrities who suddenly jumped out claiming they had also been "blacklisted" by Qin Yuezhang.
It was clear this newly appointed President Tao was acting very decisively.
Consequently, Tao Zidong's resume and background also started appearing online, often with comparisons disparaging Qin Yuezhang.
Seeing this, netizens began playing with the meme—
[The real crown prince has returned to the palace, everyone make way.]
[I always said, would a real crown prince actually go into acting? And remember how Qin Yuezhang used relationship scandals several times to help others block hot searches? That just didn't seem possible.]
[This one's the real crown prince, everyone come get some reincarnation luck.]
[Getting it, getting it, let me be reborn into a good family in my next life.]
[Wait, weren't we all saying the Qing Dynasty fell ages ago, stop calling people 'young master' or 'crown prince' all the time? How come everyone's kneeling again?]
[666, the netizens changed their tune without me.]
Regardless of the netizens' attitudes, the impact of this incident on Xingchen Film Industry had been minimized. Most netizens were just playing with memes and didn't continue to fixate on Xingchen Film Industry.
By the time Xiao He saw this news, the person involved in the news article had already come knocking on his door—
Afternoon, Shanghai, a certain hotel.
Just after finishing filming, Xiao He returned to the hotel by car.
The hotel lobby was as quiet and deserted as usual. However, a few people sitting on the sofa in the lobby immediately caught Xiao He's attention.
The young man at the head wore a simple light beige mandarin collar shirt. On his wrist was a black, understated mechanical watch. His gaze held a hint of appraisal when looking at people, but lacked the condescension and arrogance of Qin Yuezhang.
Almost instantly, Xiao He knew who he was.
"You must be Xiao He?" The other party had obviously also seen Xiao He. He immediately stood up, walked towards Xiao He with a cheerful smile, and extended his hand. "Sorry for the sudden intrusion—wait, no, I should address you as President Xiao. My apologies for the disturbance. I'm Tao Zidong, the current Executive CEO of Xingchen Entertainment."
"Hello, President Tao."
Xiao He also promptly put on a smile. He led Tao Zidong to a pre-arranged empty room, then they sat down on the sofa.
"I'm here primarily to discuss compensation. We are also very sorry that Qin Yuezhang previously used our group's reputation to cause you serious trouble. The terms discussed earlier, your agent has already relayed them to me. But I felt I needed to come personally to express our apology and sincerity."
It must be said, Tao Zidong was quite capable of adapting his demeanor. He didn't have that arrogant, superior air. His way of speaking was also very pleasant.
In just an instant, Xiao He also showed a smile and replied amiably, "It's fine, President Tao. The fact that you came personally already makes me feel quite honored. The previous incident didn't cause me much loss anyway. What's past should stay in the past."
"No, no, no—"
Tao Zidong signaled to his assistant beside him, who took out several documents and placed them in front of Xiao He. "The compensation offered before was indeed something we didn't consider carefully. This time, we've made a serious selection. It also includes the requirements your agent previously raised. We agree to all of them. We hope President Xiao you can accept."
Xiao He just gave them a quick glance and raised an eyebrow slightly.
Tao Zidong's visit this time was indeed full of sincerity.
Then he heard Tao Zidong speak with earnest words, "Cangyue Calamity is a project Xingchen Entertainment will be focusing on next. I know the previous matters might have made things a bit unpleasant for everyone. We are willing to make some concessions. We hope President Xiao and President Song, we can all sit down together and have a proper discussion."
Xiao He glanced at Liu Rulan and instantly understood.
Their collaboration with Jiaxing Entertainment to snatch the Cangyue Calamity project had been discovered by Tao Zidong...
So it's true. The only thing that can make capital bow and concede is another capital.