Chapter Sixty: Decisive Action, Taking a Risky Move
“Brother Zhou, the trending topic on the platform has been removed twice already; it’s hard to keep it down. I’ll go coordinate with the Breakout team and ask them to stop promoting it.”
“No need.”
Zhou Yifan made a swift decision.
There was no point in hiding an obvious truth; doing so would only let the rumors spiral further.
“I’ll have Ailian issue a statement acknowledging it. Losing followers is inevitable. From now on, forget about idol dramas and focus on reinventing yourself.”
“Understood. And what about you and Maggie?”
Being married with a child might pose some trouble for Ailian, but as Zhou Yifan’s manager, it wasn’t a scandal.
Everything in the video could be dismissed as an outburst of anger—only someone truly involved emotionally would ask such questions.
If they were really just a marriage of convenience, none of this would have happened.
This narrative was easy to steer.
But if his relationship with Maggie were exposed, labeling him a cheating scoundrel would be impossible to refute.
The problem was that many in the industry probably knew about their relationship to some extent, and now, the number of those ready to throw stones would be plentiful.
Zhou Yifan was prepared; he sent over a video.
“No need for them to pour fuel on the fire. We’ll expose it ourselves. After Ailian and I make our statements, buy fake accounts to spread this video and accuse me of infidelity.”
His subordinate hesitated briefly but accepted the video. “Understood.”
A risky move...
If they didn’t expose it, there was still a chance to suppress the matter. But if they voluntarily revealed it, and it was used against them, there’d be no coming back.
Of course, he also understood that anyone with real dirt in hand would threaten him with it, whether he exposed it or not. The cost would only rise.
In this game of power, it was best to obediently follow the boss’s orders.
Nearby, Zhou Yifan was not idle.
He opened his phone, scrolled through his contacts, and pondered which connections to leverage.
Money was no object! He had never feared spending it.
Since Breakout was so eager to get involved, he might as well use their strength.
---
“Selina, long time no see. This is Zhou Yifan.”
...
Sleepless tonight.
The entire social media circle exploded again and again.
The major internet giants were all working overnight—from content to tech teams, fighting on the front lines.
In the first phase, the leaked video went viral across the web, dropping a bombshell on the popular actress Ailian: she had been married to her manager for years and had a son in kindergarten.
Just hours later, Ailian herself, with tens of millions of followers, responded personally, officially confirming the matter.
“Sorry for keeping this from everyone. I have indeed married for love. @Zhou Yifan.”
Minutes later, Zhou Yifan also responded with his main account: “Childhood sweethearts, love before marriage, a family of three. Sorry for the trouble caused by work, @Ailian.”
Both parties admitted it simultaneously!
Their posts immediately trended, overshadowing all previous revelations.
As for their quarrels, neither side bothered to respond, openly acknowledging their marriage and leaving the rest to their online fan armies.
The tone shifted dramatically. The young couple’s mutual affection split netizens into two camps.
“Secretly married with a child yet still pretending to be a maiden online, making fake romance with male co-stars—no explanation can fix that!”
“She never publicly claimed to be single in any interview, nor had any scandals in the industry. What’s wrong with being married? Does marriage mean she can’t be youthful?”
Fans finally found a foothold in the debate. She married for love—so what? As for fake romances or playful banter on variety shows, that was all part of the job.
Who hasn’t had to say things they didn’t mean for work?
When you reply “received” to your boss, are you always sincere?
Have you never fibbed when asking for leave?
Everyone knows actors maintain personas when out and about!
She’s just married. There’s nothing shameful about it. They haven’t evaded taxes or cheated; what kind of scandal is this?
At 2 a.m., usually the quietest time on social platforms, the heat didn’t cool; discussions stayed intense.
Soon after, new revelations emerged.
---
A somewhat blurry surveillance video showed a slender young woman throwing herself into Zhou Yifan’s arms under a dim streetlight in the city, clinging tightly to him.
The haters who had focused all their venom on Ailian quickly changed targets.
No wonder she pretended to be innocent in public—her husband was having an affair!
Didn’t you hear what was said in the first video? The man was cheating around! This must be one of the women! No wonder he neglected his wife and child!
Why always blame the woman? She married for love, but her beloved husband is the one cheating! Why does the world always side with men?
Since Zhou Yifan himself exposed the scandal, the backlash was fierce. The attention on Ailian quickly dispersed; the trolls themselves didn’t know whom to target next.
However, Zhou Yifan’s own popularity wasn’t as high as Ailian’s. Before the topic spun out of control, a new character was introduced.
“That woman—I know her! Isn’t she Maggie, the female anchor from Zhou Yifan’s company?”
“Yeah! Zhou Yifan has brought her to many brand events. I’ve seen her too.”
“Didn’t expect they had this kind of relationship.”
“Bad guy, shameless woman, cheating man with a mistress.”
Though Xu Meiqi was a somewhat well-known anchor, she wasn’t an actress, and her fan base was mostly composed of older men, with few online warriors to defend her.
Suddenly, insults and slanders poured in. With the main parties absent, Xu Meiqi was painted as a malicious homewrecker, while Ailian was cast as the innocent, wronged heroine.
Yet this wave of heat didn’t last long.
Just as the topic hit the top five trending searches, Xu Meiqi’s assistant from Huang Denglong’s company released another full surveillance video.
Before Xu Meiqi lunged at Zhou Yifan, he had been walking behind her for quite some time, maintaining a polite distance.
When Xu Meiqi threw herself at him, Zhou Yifan’s hands hung loosely at his sides. He didn’t embrace her or make any intimate moves. After a short moment, he gently pushed her away and patted her shoulder.
“I really can’t stand it anymore. Is it fun to cut and splice videos online to slander others? Mr. Zhou is Maggie’s manager. Is it unusual for them to appear together often?
That night, it was a shameless director forcing Maggie to be the lead in his lousy web drama. Maggie broke down crying, and Mr. Zhou intervened to stop it. Maggie hugged him out of gratitude—what’s wrong with that?
They didn’t even touch hands. What kind of proof is this? Should every hug in the entertainment industry be considered an affair?”