UCS Chapter 62

“I happened to see it that day. It was quite surprising, Student Gao.”

 

Xiao Yusheng stood up, and amid the tearful moans from Gao Gusheng in the video, he stepped closer.

 

Gao Gusheng trembled slightly with fear but had nowhere to escape. He could only watch as Xiao Yusheng, with the smile of a cat toying with a mouse, trapped him between his arms, shadows completely enveloping him.

 

“Whether it’s Li Mochen or Young Master Wen.”

 

“You don’t want these videos to get out, do you?”

 

“I think you know what you should do, don’t you?”

 

Xiao Yusheng leaned down toward Gao Gusheng, but before he could touch him, he took a punch.

 

Still not satisfied, Gao Shi followed up with a kick. As the sound of cracking bones rang out, Gao Shi jolted awake from the dream, his consciousness still focused on Xiao Yusheng flying backward, but what he saw was Ying Bujie’s face.

 

“Water.”

 

Gao Shi instinctively took it. The water was warm, and when he drank it, it carried the pleasant fragrance of locust flower honey.

 

He drank it all in one go, his emotions finally calming from the nightmare.

 

Seeing him regain his composure, Ying Bujie picked up a fruit plate nearby. He ate the last fig and began unpacking the somewhat cold takeout.

 

It seemed that after bringing Gao Shi back, he hadn’t had time to eat.

 

Gao Shi let out a soft breath. “You eat some fruit first, I’ll heat this up in the microwave for you.”

 

Ying Bujie looked at him, nodded, and made a soft “mm” sound. His lips were a bit pale, but his expression was serious.

 

Like a confused little dog.

 

Gao Shi’s heart was gently squeezed.

 

…

 

Regarding how to deal with Li Mochen, Gao Shi already had some ideas.

 

From what Pipi had said, it was clear that parents acting as managers physically punishing or even abusing child stars was not uncommon. The children’s schedules were packed full—even an adult might not be able to handle such a demanding schedule—yet these kids kept going non-stop and would get beaten for complaining about being tired or not being focused enough.

 

Gao Shi planned a two-pronged approach: continue investigating the forced monetary and sexual transactions involving adult actors, while also investigating the abuse of child stars.

 

The land planning proposal should be released soon, and today he had also rejected the talent scout’s contract invitation for him and his son. Li Mochen would surely make other moves soon to save Wanxing Entertainment.

 

The more he moved, the more flaws he would expose.

 

Besides this, last night Gao Shi had used his almost terrifying memory to recreate the contract the talent scout had shown him, and had already handed it to an experienced lawyer. Though this contract might not serve as evidence, he wouldn’t let any possibility of threatening Li Mochen slip by.

 

Collecting his thoughts, Gao Shi opened his smartwatch. Xingxing had already compiled all information about Xiao Yusheng.

 

Actually, Gao Shi had suspected Xiao Yusheng before. Given how the plot usually worked, if Rose Entertainment could subtly compete with Wanxing Entertainment, its leader would definitely have some connection to Gao Gusheng.

 

But Gao Shi hadn’t expected that even with his understanding of scumbags, he was still too naive.

 

When Gao Shi closed his eyes, he could see Gao Gusheng’s pale face from the dream, the despair in his eyes that couldn’t be hidden.

 

There was more than one video, clearly secretly filmed, and the subjects included not just Gao Gusheng, but also Wen Liang and Li Mochen.

 

Neither Wen Liang nor Li Mochen were decent people—sometimes they would assault Gao Gusheng in public places: woods, classrooms, offices… No wonder Xiao Yusheng’s videos were so clear.

 

He used these videos to blackmail Gao Gusheng.

 

Gao Shi hadn’t dreamed of the backstory, didn’t know what the relationship between Gao Gusheng and Xiao Yusheng was at the time, but from his observations and understanding of Gao Gusheng, the boy had probably admired, trusted, even worshipped him.

 

Being dragged into an even deeper hell by someone you worship—Gao Shi could imagine how desperate Gao Gusheng must have felt.

 

Xingxing had finished compiling the information. Gao Shi looked at all the online news about Xiao Yusheng, slowly decoding this person.

 

Xiao Yusheng became famous at fifteen with a single film. The supporting male character he played became an unforgettable first love for countless people. His career path was smooth from then on, making him the youngest Grand Slam Best Actor.

 

Xiao Yusheng could almost be called the epitome of perfection. He loved life, enjoyed painting, loved small animals and flowers. He owned a handsome Labrador named Maomao.

 

He came from a good family, owned his own villa and rose garden. In interviews, he said he loved roses—every morning when he woke up and opened his window, he could see a garden full of roses.

 

Xiao Yusheng doted on his dog and rose garden, often posting photos of Maomao happily panting and chasing butterflies on the garden paths.

 

Though Xiao Yusheng lived somewhat luxuriously, no one ever attacked him for it, because he donated large sums to charity every year—he was a famous philanthropist in the entertainment industry.

 

The film that won Xiao Yusheng his Best Actor title featured him playing a saint.

 

The saint in pure white robes looked upon the world with compassion, dedicating his life to all living beings, bringing dawn after darkness.

 

Everyone was immersed in the joy of dawn’s arrival, but no one knew that the saint they had once misunderstood and scorned stood on the cliff, watching the breaking dawn, and closed his eyes with a smile.

 

The saint loved cleanliness and only wore pure white clothes, but before his death, his white robes were not only stained with large patches of blood but also covered with mud and filth. Yet his final gaze toward the thousands of lights in the village at the foot of the mountain was so gentle and holy, like a flower blooming in a quagmire.

 

This film became a massive phenomenon. Countless people wept heartbroken tears for the saint, and Xiao Yusheng, who not only had the word “saint” in his name but also had impeccable character, successfully converted all the saint’s fans into his own. He was like the saint in everyone’s hearts, so his fans called him “Your Highness.”

 

It might sound embarrassing, but his fans called him this with such devotion. They learned from Xiao Yusheng’s example to do good deeds, becoming better people for his sake, which somehow made people feel he was worthy of this title.

 

No matter how you looked at it, Xiao Yusheng seemed like the perfect idol.

 

Even the most unscrupulous paparazzi used gentle words when reporting about him.

 

He was gentle and considerate, took care of junior colleagues, loved small animals and plants, enjoyed painting and extreme sports, and did charity work.

 

He was like a perfect saint, with no negative emotions that could be associated with him.

 

But as human beings, everyone has flaws.

 

When someone has no flaws or quirks, no negative emotions or dark side, that itself is the biggest problem.

 

At least, if Xiao Yusheng were truly consistent inside and out, he wouldn’t have coerced Gao Gusheng in the dream.

 

Xiao Yusheng’s perfection could only mean that his negative emotions were being vented elsewhere.

 

What could it be?

 

Gao Shi’s gaze lingered on the paintings Xiao Yusheng had posted.

 

A golden Labrador chasing butterflies in a rose garden, shot from above. The blooming roses formed a continuous expanse, their red color ominous in the sunset glow.

 

This dog always seemed to be chasing butterflies.

 

Gao Shi looked down and dialed Gao Gusheng’s number.

 

“Hello? Dad, what’s wrong?”

 

“Lele, Xiao Yusheng is problematic. He might contact you soon.”

 

Gao Gusheng’s face stiffened on the other end. He smiled bitterly, “Dad, I just parted ways with Xiao Yusheng.”

 

…

 

An hour earlier.

 

Gao Gusheng was eating in the cafeteria when he overheard two or three male students chatting while eating nearby.

 

“No way? You really left your girlfriend in City A and came back by yourself?”

 

Gao Gusheng looked over and saw the subject of their conversation was the same male classmate who had previously wanted to buy his “secondhand candy” to appease his girlfriend.

 

The male student looked somewhat impatient. “She’s completely unreasonable. I was already tired, and she kept saying she wanted to go shopping. I accompanied her, but then she threw a tantrum on the street, saying I was being sulky and if I didn’t want to be there, I shouldn’t have come out.”

 

“Do I look like someone who wanted to go out and have fun? I only went out to accommodate her, and then she got upset about it. I’m not going to indulge her temper, so I came back by myself.”

 

One of his friends was dumbfounded. “But—you guys took the high-speed rail, right? It’s not like you were driving. You slept the whole way, and you barely carried any luggage—half of it was carried by your girlfriend. What were you tired from?”

 

“Besides, you guys were on vacation. Going shopping is pretty normal, isn’t it?”

 

The male student, having lost face, darkened. “How do you know what the situation was? Did she talk to you?”

 

His friend was exasperated. “Please, bro, don’t you even look at your girlfriend’s social media?”

 

The male student was furious. “She posted about such a trivial thing?!”

 

He opened his phone and scrolled to that day. The photo showed his back—him stylishly pulling a suitcase with one hand while holding his phone with the other, striding ahead. The caption read: “City A, here we come! 🎉🎉”

 

The girl’s post showed no negative emotions, but in a corner of the photo, there was a reflection in some glass that vaguely showed the girl carrying bags large and small. His friend saying “half the luggage” was actually being generous.

 

The male student’s expression was ugly as he silently messaged the girl, angrily demanding she delete the post.

 

One friend felt they really couldn’t get along and left after finishing his meal. The other seemed to “share his views” and draped an arm around his shoulder with a sleazy grin. “Hey, bro, you left your girlfriend alone in City A, and now she’s not talking to you, right? She used to reply instantly.”

 

The male student said grimly, “In a few days she’ll definitely come crying back to me like before. Don’t worry about her.”

 

The other friend rubbed his chin, looked at the social media post, and said, “Maybe you should call her? I mean, women shouldn’t be spoiled, but she hasn’t posted anything for several days. She must be really angry.”

 

The male student waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about her. Let’s go to the club meeting—they recruited two new girls, really pretty ones.”

 

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