Volume One, Chapter 83: A Man Strikes a Woman

Although the incident at the airport had already been resolved there, there are always those who mistake another’s forbearance for weakness. How could a fairy-like young lady suffer such a loss in silence?

A day later, a certain video began to circulate online, gradually gaining more and more traction.

The content of the video was as follows: a man in a black mask, without a word, slapped the young lady across the face. Then, he removed his mask, revealing a familiar face. Not only did he fail to apologize, but he struck her again.

The video was edited to perfection.

As soon as it spread, it triggered an uproar. Before anyone could ascertain the truth, several hashtags shot to the top of the trending list.

#Jiang Yu Assaults at the Airport!
#Jiang Yu Hits a Woman!
#Talented but Unethical, Unworthy of Being a Star!

These trending topics sparked heated debate across the entire internet. Editors of marketing accounts were thrilled, rushing to post the video and denounce Jiang Yu.

“Am I seeing things, or is that really Jiang Yu in the video?”
“He does look a bit like him… Could it actually be him?”
“Yu bro, say it isn’t so?”
“I don’t believe it, Jiang Yu never struck me as that kind of person!”

Initially, most people scoffed at such news, but as the video’s reach expanded, Jiang Yu’s fans grew restless and flooded his Weibo, seeking answers.

“Yu bro, everyone is slandering you—please explain! I don’t believe you would hit someone in public for no reason!”
“If this isn’t true, Yu bro, I hope you call the police. But if it is, Jiang Yu, I guess I was wrong about you!”

The fans still had no idea what had actually happened.

Then, a rather peculiar group of people caught the scent and joined the fray.

“Jiang Yu, you’re disgusting! Hitting a woman at the airport! Why hasn’t someone blacklisted you already? @GuomingDaily.”
“Regardless of the facts, a man hitting a woman deserves to be condemned. Jiang Yu is disgusting!”
“I already looked down on him for those scandals before. I thought he couldn’t stoop any lower, but clearly I was wrong. Get out of showbiz!”

But that was not the end; the girl who was slapped posted a short video herself.

In it, she sobbed as if her heart were being torn apart.

“I went to the airport that day to greet Hua Fan. Maybe because there were so many people, I got separated from my group and accidentally bumped into an elderly person. Then Jiang Yu just came up and slapped me, but I apologized!”
“Do you know how much psychological trauma that slap caused me? Boohoo!”

With this, the controversy soared to the top of the trending searches. More and more people flocked to Jiang Yu’s Weibo, hurling insults.

Weibo’s demographics are well-known. Beyond the insults, there were even people offering advice.

“Young lady, I’m a female lawyer. If you need help, contact me—I can help you take him to court!”
“Be brave! Don’t be afraid just because he’s a celebrity. Justice will not be absent. If he dares to hit a woman, we’ll make him pay!”
“Girl, here’s what you do: go to the hospital for a check-up. When the doctor asks questions, stare at one spot, pretend not to hear, zone out, occasionally gag or act dizzy. That way, the doctor will write a diagnosis—suspected brainstem damage! Just so you know, brainstem injuries can be fatal. He must pay the price!”

Yet, there were still some rational voices.

“This video is clearly edited. I want to see the full version.”
“Exactly. If you have the guts, post the whole thing! Posting only half is meaningless!”

But those voices were quickly drowned out.

“There are still dumb fans trying to defend hitting women? How much did Jiang Yu pay you?”
“Doesn’t matter what the facts are—a grown man hitting a woman is just wrong. Jiang Yu, go to hell!”

In a hotel room, Wu Kenan was pacing as he took a call.

“President Su, you can’t blame Jiang Yu for this—the incident had its reasons, and the police already mediated today. Who knew the other side would suddenly go back on their word?”
“Jiang Yu? He’s right here, also on a call.”
“Alright, I’ll put you on speaker.”

At the same time, Jiang Yu was on another call. Wu Kenan tapped him on the arm and handed over his phone.

Jiang Yu nodded. “Mr. Wang, please hold on a moment.”

Then he turned to the other phone. “Aunt, what’s wrong?”

“Jiang Yu, do you just have to stir up trouble every day to feel alive?” came a shout from the other end.

“It’s not my fault! You didn’t see how arrogant that woman was. If you’d been there, you wouldn’t have held back either!” Jiang Yu looked innocent.

“Nonsense!” President Su exploded, even cursing.

“Aunt!” a gentle voice could be heard nearby.

But President Su roared, “Shut up! This has nothing to do with you!”

Jiang Yu scratched his head. “Aunt, I still haven’t finished writing the song for the National Day Gala. I’ll let Wu Kenan explain the rest to you!”

With that, he shot Wu Kenan a look. Wu Kenan understood and stepped aside. “Hello, President Su.”

“Jiang Yu, don’t you run off! Answer my call—ah!”

Meanwhile, Jiang Yu continued his conversation with Wang Xianjun.

“Mr. Wang.”

“What exactly happened? Tell me everything. You’re not someone who would attack another for no reason.”

“I just couldn’t hold back and taught someone with no manners a lesson.” Jiang Yu recounted the entire incident.

“You said those elderly people were veterans?” Wang’s voice trembled, his tone rising. “Absurd! Never mind, you don’t need to worry about this anymore.”

“Thank you, Mr. Wang. I also kept a copy of the video evidence. Would you like me to send it?”

“So that’s why you’re so calm, you little rascal—always one step ahead!” Wang chuckled. “Alright, focus on preparing for the gala. And don’t be so impulsive next time.”

Jiang Yu grinned. “Understood!”

After hanging up, Wu Kenan was still on his call. Half an hour later, he returned to the sofa, looking composed.

“This time, you’ve caused quite a stir.”

“But I don’t regret it.” Jiang Yu stretched. “What did my aunt say?”

Wu Kenan sighed.

Su Ling had already contacted Hua Fan’s company, but they said it was the personal action of a fan and claimed they couldn’t control her. It was clear they didn’t want to get involved.

Jiang Yu couldn’t help but laugh. He knew exactly what they were thinking.

They were well aware of the full story and understood the nature of the video circulating online. They didn’t want to offend the veterans, nor did they want to alienate the fans.

So, staying out of it seemed to them the best solution.

But, was it really as simple as they thought?