The Mo Yan incident continued to escalate.
Online discussions surrounding Mo Yan's situation evolved from questioning the act itself to becoming increasingly severe.
#Mo Yan Does Not Deserve the Title "Virtuous and Accomplished"!#
#Is Mo Yan Still Qualified to Be a Judge on "Masked Singer"?#
Capital intervened.
Mo Yan, operating only with his personal studio, lacked the capacity to handle this matter.
As the incident fermented, it became more intense.
Had this happened under normal circumstances, it would have been a minor ripple, as his choice hadn't impacted the competition's outcome.
However, with capital's sensationalism, the nature of the matter began to shift.
Mo Yan himself showed no emotional change, but Shen Jinghong's state was poor. He felt that his impulsive decision to eliminate Lang Ya had dragged his teacher into this public outcry.
"What, can't handle this bit of public opinion?" Normally, when Mo Yan and Shen Jinghong played chess, they were evenly matched. However, today Mo Yan was consistently winning.
"Teacher, what should we do now? Aren't you on good terms with President Lin? Can't you have him help you?" Shen Jinghong had no interest in playing chess; he wished he could kill all those stoking the flames online.
He could tolerate criticism against himself, but he was more upset than anyone when his teacher was insulted.
"No need. I'm already quite old and semi-retired, so I won't bother old friends. Besides, this matter is complicated. Lin Chaoyang and Huangchao Entertainment are already struggling to protect Ting Yu; he truly doesn't have the extra energy to protect me."
Mo Yan, as a godfather-level figure in the Chinese music scene, naturally understood that this matter was not simple.
Without capital's push, the issue wouldn't have blown up this much.
Therefore, in his view, there was no need to confront that capital head-on.
The heat would eventually dissipate. Although his reputation was tarnished, for a man in his fifties, it wouldn't have any impact.
When one reaches a certain age and has possessed too much, one realizes that the most precious thing in life is the person right beside you.
Mo Yan's life had been a journey, marked by two profound relationships. Yet, even a man of his talent remained solitary in his fifties.
His only companion was his disciple, Shen Jinghong.
Therefore, Shen Jinghong was like his own child, his everything.
"Let's stop here for today. Tomorrow, there's an official event; accompany me." Mo Yan noticed Shen Jinghong's absentmindedness but didn't offer further comfort, believing that letting Shen Jinghong experience such things would aid his mindset.
Mo Yan was already contemplating retirement, feeling he had reached an age for it. The future era belonged to young people like Shen Jinghong and Ting Yu.
Thus, this was also an opportunity to let Shen Jinghong bear the pressure of public opinion and grow amidst it.
"What event?" Shen Jinghong asked.
"The retirement ceremony for Olympic athletes."
Last year's Olympics had seen its fair share of controversies.
Some achieved great success, while others retired with regret.
The authorities organized a retirement event for these sports heroes.
They also invited numerous celebrities from various fields to witness it.
"Is Zhou Xiang retiring too?" Shen Jinghong asked.
"I saw his name on the retirement list," Mo Yan sighed and nodded.
Then, he waved goodbye to Shen Jinghong and began packing up the chess set.
Seeing this, Shen Jinghong nodded at Mo Yan and turned to leave.
Zhou Xiang, whom he mentioned, was a track and field athlete known as the "world's flying man."
However, at last year's Olympics, due to a withdrawal controversy, he was heavily criticized online.
He had withdrawn from the race due to injury, but many people, seeing his calm expression, devoid of any sign of pain, and his ability to walk back, used this to their advantage, hurling all sorts of abuse online.
They claimed he was faking it, that he was afraid of losing and used injury as an excuse to withdraw to protect his reputation.
Some even said he should have committed to the act, that even if he had to walk, he should have finished.
Coincidentally, in a competition a while ago, Zhou Xiang suffered another injury. This time, he walked to the finish line.
But he was still attacked by trolls, accused of acting.
Therefore, Zhou Xiang was a sporting tragedy. As an athlete, he caused no trouble off the field, had no doping scandals, yet due to his injury, he was misunderstood and relentlessly attacked by the entire internet.
This eventually led him to make the decision to retire.
#World's Flying Man Zhou Xiang Retires, How Much Longer Will You Scold Him?#
#He Brought So Much Honor to China, He Shouldn't Be Vilified by the Entire Internet!#
When this news broke,
Zhou Xiang's fans were in tears.
"China has no more World's Flying Man!"
"He ran on the field for the glory of all of China, and no one expected him to be driven to retirement by his own compatriots."
"Alright, now everyone is happy. A world-class athlete is retiring due to scolding from trolls. A tragedy of the era."
"If it were me, I'd retire too. After all, even saints would be disheartened in such a situation."
"Fighting for glory with injuries, only to be treated like dirt by his own people."
At this athlete retirement ceremony, Zhou Xiang naturally drew the most attention.
After all, he was at the center of the public outcry.
Many people's focus was on him this time.
...
The next day.
Early in the morning, Su Yu felt something pressing down on his quilt.
He opened his eyes and saw a small head poking out from under the covers.
Lin Yanyu was lying on top of him, her fingers playing with his eyebrows.
"Susu, Dad said the car is ready."
Her lips moved, and a sly smile graced her lips.
As it was already the end of March and the weather was warming up, Lin Yanyu was dressed thinly. As she lay on Su Yu, he could clearly feel her body heat.
Su Yu, a young man, couldn't handle such a situation. He gasped and finally couldn't suppress his arousal.
Because Lin Yanyu was on him, her "gun" was positioned at a crucial spot.
"Ah!"
The sudden development made Lin Yanyu flinch, and her pretty face immediately flushed.
She struggled to get up.
Su Yu was unwilling to let her go so easily. He reached out and held her, then said with a wicked grin, "Ten more minutes of sleep."
Then, he closed his eyes again.
Lin Yanyu rested her head against Su Yu's chest, listening to his rapidly beating heart.
After ten minutes, Lin Yanyu finally gathered the courage to free herself from Su Yu.
"Hurry and get up. This is an official event; it's not good to be late."
"Okay..."
For this retirement event, the authorities had also invited Su Yu and his group.
However, there were no performances; they were just going as audience members.
Su Yu had great respect for these Olympic athletes, as they had trained since childhood and fought for the honor of their country. That spirit alone was worthy of admiration.
Thinking of this, Su Yu shook his head with lingering thoughts.
Then, he got out of bed and began to change.
Lin Yanyu, with a blush, looked at Su Yu's perfect physique and couldn't help but swallow.
Although she felt very shy, she thought that since he was her husband, it was natural to look.
"He looks slim in clothes, but muscular when he takes them off. Susu is simply too perfect. *Slurp*..."
Lin Yanyu wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth and exclaimed.