On the way back to the hospital, Su Ding received a call from Lü Xi.
“Su Ding, I’m truly sorry. I had no idea things would escalate this much. The director said his computer hard drive is broken, and the footage from the full surveillance recording is lost. I was thinking, perhaps our entire crew could issue a joint statement to clarify this matter. Would that be convenient for you?”
Lü Xi’s voice was anxious and apologetic. This was a crucial time for his new drama, which was about to be released. The investors were pressuring him to resolve the issue quickly. Such a video being leaked would ruin both him and Su Ding. In the video, he was only wearing shorts and had ended up on top of Su Ding. The part where witnesses from various departments testified had been maliciously edited out.
“I have no problem with it, but are there many people willing to step forward and testify?” Su Ding asked. It wasn’t that Su Ding was being overly pragmatic, but with the full video evidence unavailable, many artists would hesitate to take such a risk. Especially since it was clear Lü Xi had been framed.
Lü Xi was silent for a moment. “Regardless, I will do my best. A few are still willing.”
“How about this, you contact people and issue a statement first, and I’ll go talk to the director,” Su Ding suggested.
“Thank you, Su Ding,” Lü Xi said sincerely. If he had been more cautious back then, such an accident wouldn’t have happened. Moreover, he felt he had implicated Su Ding and was truly sorry, but his capabilities were limited.
After hanging up, Su Ding called the director of the crew directly. “Director Zhang, hello, this is Su Ding.”
Director Zhang seemed to have anticipated the call and wasn’t surprised. “Su Ding, you’re calling about that video incident, aren’t you? I’m so sorry. It was originally on the hard drive, but then the drive broke.”
“Would it be convenient for you to clarify this on Weibo for me and Lü Xi?”
“Yes, yes, you can rest assured. I’ve already pinned the Weibo post. You can check it.”
Su Ding opened Weibo and indeed saw Director Zhang’s clarifying post. However, the content was concise. He didn’t provide a detailed explanation of the video content, only stating that he could testify that the two actors did not engage in any inappropriate behavior. Still, this was considered a loyal act.
“By the way, Director Zhang, didn’t we call the police back then? Shouldn’t the police have a backup record?” Su Ding asked.
“Lü Xi inquired at the local police station, and they said the archived records were also maliciously attacked by hackers and deleted,” Director Zhang sighed.
Su Ding frowned. “Okay, I understand. If possible, I hope you can still send your hard drive for repair. If the complete video is released, I believe this rumor will be debunked on its own.”
Director Zhang agreed. If it were anyone else, he might not have gone to such trouble, but this was the identity of the young madam of the Jin family.
After hanging up, Su Ding thought about contacting Fu Qing to help her. However, her calls went unanswered. She suddenly felt worried and tried calling Fu Qing’s other brothers. They said they hadn’t been able to contact him for a few days. Had the people who rescued Shao Lin last time kidnapped Fu Qing? The more Su Ding thought about it, the more worried she became, and she could only call Jin Ye for help.
“I understand. We’ve finally got a lead on the woman sent to investigate the fashion show. She’s definitely connected to Shao Lin, and Fu Qing might have been targeted by them. I’ll find him as soon as possible.”
“Mm, Fu Qing has been with me for many years. I hope he’s alright,” Su Ding sighed, still very worried. In normal circumstances, she might not have been so concerned about Fu Qing. After all, Fu Qing was highly resilient, sharp-witted, and adaptable. But the involvement of Shao Lin made her feel that there was a major conspiracy behind it.
“Oh, right. I also need someone to go to the police station in the neighboring county to help me deal with that online video rumor…” Su Ding briefly explained the situation to Jin Ye. Jin Ye directly said, “I’ll send someone to handle this matter.”
Jin Ye was very efficient. The next day, Su Ding saw the complete video trending on the hot search list. The latter half of the video clearly showed everything, including Su Ding kicking the door, calling the director, and calling the police… The internet immediately erupted in heated discussions.
“What a treasure, this young lady!”
“Wife Su Ding, I love you! Come back soon!”
“Those anti-fans are just saying whatever they want. Didn’t expect a plot twist, huh?”
“Fortunately, I just watch the drama and don’t take sides. I support protecting your rights!”
…
In a short time, Su Ding’s fan base grew rapidly. In the past few days, even when walking on the street, people asked Su Ding for autographs. Recently, edited videos of Su Ding have repeatedly hit the trending lists. Her straightforward and unpretentious demeanor on variety shows and her impeccable acting skills have won her many loyal fans.
Meanwhile, Shao Lin was furious. “How could this happen! Wasn’t that video destroyed!”
“We didn’t expect it either. The police station had a backup. It’s likely the Jin family applied pressure,” someone said fearfully.
Shao Lin smashed the cup in her hand on the floor. “Useless!” She refused to believe that Su Ding couldn’t be ruined! She still had a trump card that she hadn’t used…
“Miss Lin, please calm down. Playing with a little mouse, isn’t it more fun to take your time?” A tall, beautiful woman with an exotic demeanor walked over and placed her hand on Shao Lin’s shoulder, patting it gently.
Shao Lin’s expression improved upon seeing her. “Sister Min~ Don’t you hate her too? You were injured when you came back last time.” Wen Min recalled the kick in the water, and her eyes also turned cold.
“Sister Min, could you do my makeup so that she won’t recognize me? I want to try something,” Shao Lin said, pulling Wen Min’s hand and acting spoiled.
Wen Min frowned. “The boss won’t agree to let you take risks.”
“Okay,” Shao Lin sighed, thinking of Uncle Gong, who treated her very well but wasn’t very close, and felt a bit scared. It seemed she still had to start with Zhao Qin.
Just then, several people suddenly rushed into the room. “It’s not good, someone’s here!”
Wen Min, being composed, asked, “Who!”
“Jin Ye!”
As she spoke, a car was speeding towards them from not far outside the window. Wen Min immediately grabbed Shao Lin. “Come with me!” The other brothers rushed downstairs to attract attention and scattered in all directions!