Most of the PR team had met Du Ze for the first time today. Before that, they’d only known him from the internet. They’d seen too many celebrities whose public personas were nothing like their real selves. These celebrities only showed the side they wanted the public to see, which had nothing to do with their true character. People said you could fake it for a year or two, but if someone had been that way since the start of their career, it was likely genuine.
Du Ze’s public image had always been sunny, gentle, and responsible. His debut was in a period drama, playing the warm older brother of the lead. His interactions with other guests on variety shows further showed his care and gentlemanly behavior. The PR team couldn’t reconcile the man standing before them, ordering people around, cursing, and throwing things, with the Du Ze from the live stream just ten minutes ago. They exchanged awkward glances. Their boss seemed to have really misjudged this one. It seemed the stream had been cut because Du Ze had fallen from grace.
“You need to give me a solution today. Don’t tell me to apologize. I won’t. I want to sue them. I’ll sue them until they go to jail.”
A young man on the PR team asked weakly, “Sue who?”
Du Ze’s eyes burned with rage. “The accounts that posted those videos, and whoever leaked them!”
“What are you waiting for? Go!”
Du Ze shoved the young man standing in front of him. The young man stumbled, hitting his shoulder against a cabinet. He winced in pain, holding his shoulder and crying out. Du Ze glared at him, then turned to the others, demanding a solution in five minutes.
The young man didn’t dare to speak up, but whispered to a colleague, “I never knew Du Ze was like this. He’s so difficult to work with.”
His colleague was already frazzled. Their proposed solutions had all been rejected by Du Ze. He was loudly cursing the brand’s PR team, saying they were useless and that their suggestions were basically forcing him to apologize or say the videos were false. The PR team was so stressed their hair felt like it was turning white. They wished they could strangle their past selves for volunteering for this project.
With Du Ze refusing to cooperate, the brand could only watch the wave of public opinion grow stronger. Even sponsors were calling to ask what was going on. After the announcement of the contract termination, public anger didn’t subside, it grew. Many loyal customers said they would never use the brand’s products again. Some even started a boycott. The brand had “blindly pursued popularity and ignored ethical risks,” failing to properly vet their spokesperson. “How can consumers trust them now?”
The entire PR team was working under immense pressure, but they couldn’t come up with a solution. Because they couldn’t deliver a perfect plan, Du Ze’s patience ran out. He stopped pretending and started cursing at them. They endured it as long as they could, until a phone call broke the impasse. The PR team’s contact person had just come out of a meeting. He told them to leave immediately and stop providing any services to Du Ze. Everyone was confused. Hadn’t the brand hired them? Weren’t they going to handle the PR?
The contact person urged them: “Du Ze has offended someone. No one can save him. We’re not his studio. Just go.”
Everyone was stunned. After a moment’s hesitation, they packed up and crowded toward the exit. Du Ze and his studio team were confused and then furious at their sudden departure. The PR team didn’t care. They ignored Du Ze’s yelling about their lack of professionalism and just wanted to leave this mess behind. The young man at the back had heard Du Ze curse his entire family. Enough was enough. He took a breath and yelled back.
“Do you think you’re so great? You’ve already fallen from grace, you piece of trash! Just retire already!”
Du Ze, his eyes bloodshot, pointed at him. No one had ever dared to curse him in public.
“You—”
The young man, fearless: “What about me? I’m not just going to curse you. I’m going to write a post exposing your fake kindness. You said you’d die before apologizing. I bet you’re just mad you got caught. I spit on you.”
Du Ze, enraged, chased after him and grabbed his shoulder. The young man twisted away. Du Ze lost his balance and stumbled forward, almost falling. The young man felt satisfied, having gotten his revenge. He followed his mentor out, happily bouncing along. Du Ze was furious. His carefully styled hair was a mess, his makeup ruined, his expression dark and menacing. His thick, sturdy mask seemed to be cracking. Beneath it was a twisted face, his eyes filled with a chilling ruthlessness. He watched the young man’s retreating back, his molars clenched.
Sure enough, once you lose power, every Tom, Dick, and Harry tries to kick you while you’re down. He couldn’t just accept defeat. He had to show those people smearing him that he was no longer the nobody he used to be. He was Wang Shilan’s husband, a well-known actor with a great reputation. People in the hallway were whispering and pointing. Even his studio staff were gossiping among themselves. Du Ze took a deep breath, stood up straight, smoothed back his messy hair, and forced a calm, confident smile. Back in the office, he told everyone to sit down.
“We don’t need fair-weather partners. I believe we can get through this crisis together.”
He gestured, and his assistant immediately handed him his phone. During breaks from events or filming, he’d always receive texts from Niu Niu and Wang Shilan. Mostly asking if he was done and if he was coming home for dinner.
Niu Niu couldn’t type, so she’d send voice messages. A clear, childish voice would come from the phone: “Dad, we’re waiting for you to come home for dinner. Auntie Li made your favorite braised pork trotters. I snuck a taste; it was so spicy. Hssss.”
Thinking of this made Du Ze smile. As long as Wang Shilan and Niu Niu were on his side, no matter what the public said, he’d come out on top. His phone chimed. He unlocked it. There was indeed a message. He eagerly tapped the red notification. The message chilled him to the bone.
[Du Ze, let’s get a divorce!]
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