Chapter 30: There are inaccuracies in the live comments

At 10:31 AM, Zhang Xue walked into the police station to surrender.

Inside, she voluntarily confessed to the full details behind the elevator accident involving Pei Baoyuan and named the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.

At 12:15 PM, police arrived at the film set where Song Yiren was shooting. In front of hundreds of staff members, they took Song Yiren into custody. With the lead actress being taken away for investigation on suspicion of attempted murder, the production was forced to shut down.

Song Yiren’s manager immediately contacted Huo Yanzhi and the agency, scrambling for emergency PR before the staff on set could upload any footage of the arrest online. If a high-profile young starlet were to be publicly linked to a charge of attempted murder, Song Yiren’s career would effectively be over.

Huo Yanzhi, upon receiving the manager's call, felt his head throbbing with stress. The Pei family truly had clever methods; by having the assistant turn herself in, no blame could be traced back to the Pei family’s own actions.

At the same time, police arrived at the Pei residence, requesting that Pei Baoyuan accompany them to the station to assist with the investigation. Because she was the victim in the matter, she was treated with courtesy, unlike Song Yiren.

Upon arriving at the station entrance, Pei Baoyuan saw Pei Zongnian waiting there with a lawyer. Pei Zongnian patted his sister’s head and instructed, "Answer whatever they ask, and the lawyer will handle the rest."

[Why did Zhang Xue surrender? Why was Pei Zongnian waiting right there with a lawyer? Ke Xianbai, you are a true devotee of pure love, I'm dying!]
[Isn't Song Yiren the protagonist? She knows so much, yet she’s the one being locked up by the supporting character's side—what a waste of a good hand.]
[Sob, I'm done shipping the male and female leads. Ke Xianbai and Pei Baoyuan are much better. The Hong Kong prince and the Capital's little princess—Ke Xianbai, stop being stubborn, your love for Pei Baoyuan is overflowing.]

Pei Baoyuan nodded and followed the lawyer inside. Since it was merely a routine inquiry and she had Pei Zongnian backing her, she was done after about ten minutes of standard procedure.

Passing another interrogation room, Pei Baoyuan saw Song Yiren through the glass on the door. She was still in her costume, her hands shackled to the table, her head bowed, refusing to communicate with anyone. Pei Baoyuan only stood there for a moment before looking away and walking out.

Pei Zongnian was talking to a man with two stripes and two four-pointed stars on his epaulets. Pei Baoyuan didn't know the exact rank, but it was clearly a high one. Seeing her, Pei Zongnian beckoned her over, pulled her behind him, and said, "Director Fang, I’ll leave my sister’s affairs in your hands."

Director Fang, with a kindly expression, waved his hand and said, "It’s fine, it’s all a small matter."

Pei Baoyuan filled out a few more forms and was just about to leave with Pei Zongnian when someone rushed in through the doors.

He went straight toward them and fell to his knees in front of Pei Baoyuan, crying out, "Sister-in-law! Yiren was just momentarily blinded by her own greed. Please, I beg you, spare her this once. You are the kindest person."

He slammed his head against the floor in a heavy kowtow. When he looked up, Pei Baoyuan realized with shock that the man was Huang Zhenyu!

Huang Zhenyu was sobbing uncontrollably, his face covered in snot and tears. "Sister-in-law, I truly love her this time, I can't live without her. If you don't let her go, I'll have to wait for her until she gets out."

Pei Baoyuan: "..."

Huo Yanzhi walked in from outside, unhurried and calm. Suddenly, the police station lobby felt quite crowded.

The first thing Huo Yanzhi said upon entering was a sneer directed at Huang Zhenyu, who was still kowtowing on the floor: "Pathetic wretch."

He then turned to the Pei siblings with a fawning smile: "Brother Pei, Yuanyuan. This kid heard his girlfriend was in trouble and rushed over to see her."

Pei Zongnian’s face darkened, and he looked at the two men with undisguised hostility. He recognized Huang Zhenyu—a good-for-nothing rich kid who spent his time trailing behind the Huo family. As for Huo Yanzhi... in recent years, the Huo family had indeed climbed a level, and their ambition and fangs were starting to show, but that did not give Huo Yanzhi the capital to set his sights on his sister. He knew exactly what kind of schemes were running through their minds.

Pei Baoyuan also looked cold: "Didn't Huang Zhenyu break up with Song Yiren a long time ago? Why is she his girlfriend again as soon as trouble hits?"

Huo Yanzhi replied, "That was just a PR tactic back then."

Huang Zhenyu crawled forward, grabbing at Pei Baoyuan’s shin: "Sister-in-law, we did it for Yiren's career... uh..."

Before he could firmly grab her, Pei Zongnian’s leather shoe landed on his shoulder. The kick was heavy, and Huang Zhenyu tumbled backward in a pathetic heap.

Pei Zongnian warned, "I don't care what your intentions are. If you have the guts to harm my sister, you must have the guts to endure the wrath of the Pei family. We are currently using legal means to protect our rights. If you want to try anything else... feel free to come at us."

Huang Zhenyu shivered and looked pleadingly at Pei Baoyuan. But Pei Zongnian quickly pulled her away and walked straight toward the exit.

In the lobby, Huang Zhenyu was still mulling over Pei Zongnian’s words. He muttered awkwardly, "Brother Zhi, what do we do now? If the Pei family doesn't back down, we're stuck..." He wanted to say that if a woman is disobedient, you just dump her; it’s not like there aren't plenty more just like her.

Just a kept little starlet who caused such a huge mess, and even had a benefactor cleaning up after her—it was truly absurd.

Huo Yanzhi, suppressing his anger, cursed him as a waste of space. "With Pei Zongnian here, things are difficult. Wait until Pei Baoyuan is alone and go beg her again. She’s soft-hearted and easy to fool. If you beg her a few more times, it’s bound to work."

Huang Zhenyu: "..."

He forced a bitter smile. Honestly, if it weren't for the promises Huo Yanzhi made, he wouldn't want to provoke the Pei family at all. Looking across the entire country, you couldn't find anyone who dared to stand up to them.

Huo Yanzhi walked away with an air of nonchalance, while Huang Zhenyu looked utterly disheveled.

...

Pei Baoyuan sat obediently in her brother’s car, listening to his lecture.

Pei Zongnian: "I've had people look into Song Yiren’s background. The resources she’s had since you went abroad two years ago have been excellent. The entertainment industry is dirty and chaotic; you know that. You should know where her resources came from, how she got them, and how she got involved with the Huo and Huang families."

"In any case, don't have any contact with these people again."

Pei Baoyuan nodded obediently: "I understand, Big Brother."

Pei Zongnian looked satisfied and continued: "Although an elevator malfunction can be life-threatening, I... cough, I suspect the other party just wanted to give you a warning. One thing..."

Pei Zongnian paused. "Other than family, who else knew you had PTSD?"

"..." Pei Baoyuan thought for a moment and shook her head: "No one."

[Oh my god! The female lead knows! Later in the story, Pei Baoyuan is thrown into an asylum and locked in a dark room to punish her disobedience, and that’s when she had a PTSD episode! So the female lead knows!]
[In the original plot, aside from dating Huo Yanzhi, the supporting character never harmed the female lead. Why is the female lead trying to hurt Pei Baoyuan? She’s being way too ruthless to achieve her goals!]

Pei Baoyuan’s face crinkled in confusion.

No.

Something about what the comments were saying was wrong.