Chapter 2693 - 2755: The Circle

Li Yifei was the first to fight back, and his words were fierce, showing no intention to spare anyone. As soon as his first tweet was sent out, it sparked a discussion among netizens, who were eager to talk about the film "Immortality," directed by Ning Xin’er, which had received multiple Cannes Film Festival award nominations. After all, this was fresh news for them, along with speculation about her relationship with Li Yifei. When Li Yifei sent out his second tweet, the internet exploded even more.

Some people say an old soldier is indeed an old soldier, with a genuine character. Many followers of Li Yifei know about the things he has done before and the subsequent related events, knowing he’s a man of wealth yet integrity, and a great hero when he was a soldier. There are many who harbor resentment towards the rich, but most ordinary people detest rich people who lack benevolence and morality, those who will do anything to make money without a moral boundary, just like that billionaire who made his fortune through a famous search engine, whose businesses notoriously drain the lifeblood of living people, conduct utterly unconscionable acts, earning the disdain and condemnation of the masses, wishing to curse him so fiercely that even his ancestral grave smokes.

Li Yifei, on the other hand, with genuine deeds, for an ordinary little girl dared to jump into icy floodwaters to rescue people, and even swam back and forth several times. This isn’t something that could be faked in a staged act; a single wave could turn a soldier into a dead one. This incident indeed sparked discussions then, afterwards whenever Li Yifei tweeted, it always led to a fervent discussion. People eagerly talked about him, verifying that Li Yifei was a real person, though his identity seemed unattainable, a top-tier billionaire in the country, shocking those who know insider information about the wealth of the Li family.

Some entrepreneurs are rich, indeed have money, but in reality, their liquid assets, or their actual share are not much; the overall corporate value is high. But Li Yifei, or rather this kind of family-owned business, is genuinely wealthy. The women of the Li family don’t differentiate among themselves; when they use money, they just need to say a word, go through a simple procedure, and they can freely allocate it.

Of course, this is secured upon everyone’s single-minded loyalty to the family, to the clan. Personal desires can exist, but within bounds. Everyone has relatives, poor or wealthy, and occasionally they need to be helped, but these are small amounts. When facing major decisions, none of the women in the Li family are muddled; they all understand and know the family rules and boundaries, even someone as bold as Chu Xiaoyao knows not to act recklessly in certain matters.

This is the Li family, with a peculiar assembly yet unusually harmonious. It’s not to say, within these families, Li Yifei is the one with many women. In fact, even in the provincial capitals, numerous family members in such families engage in affairs, with three wives and four concubines being common, only some coexist harmoniously, while others maintain separateness.

To extend further, overall Li Yifei might be criticized for affairs between men and women, but these are mere fantasies of idle people; they don’t know the facts. Yet in other concerns, Li Yifei handles them well, the Li women are also exceptional, not being rich without benevolence. On the contrary, in Ying City, within the whole province, they deserve the phrase ’benefiting one side!’

Even without intentional promotion by the Li family, the official channels in Ying City, Ning Province, as well as some netizens spontaneously publicize and praise them. For ordinary people, sincere small favors or help to the weak are enough to elicit their admiration. These news stories also spread online, further enhancing the prestige of the veteran.

Prestige! These two words carry significant weight; the veteran is a soldier, a living person, passionate. Former comments aren’t hollow, but spoken only after realizations and achievements, unafraid of judgment, and today is no exception. In Ning Xin’er’s matter, since Li Yifei holds a sword, bestowed by the fans, why shouldn’t he use it? Defending his woman against her enemies, this seems simply natural.

Especially the last tweet, Li Yifei’s tone seemed like a street punk, even cursing, which led to more heated discussions. Some believed Li Yifei is true to his nature, a real man should act this way, standing up for his woman... Of course, the latter statement was a creation of the netizens’ imagination, but some felt Li Yifei suddenly became low, engaging in slander battles in such a way.

However, this quickly got overshadowed by the voices of netizens; Li Yifei wasn’t originally in the entertainment industry to begin with, just a retired soldier with wealth, a real soldier doing real things. Why should he follow the entertainment industry’s rules? Moreover, the articles of those people in his screenshots, their headlines were filled with personal attacks on Ning Xin’er, an extremely low sort of behavior; couldn’t you see it? The articles constantly mislead people into misconceptions, insinuating that Ning Xin’er’s pure and innocent image is false, claiming she ascended by using her body.

Isn’t this extremely lowly behavior? Isn’t this slanderous? Is this not deserving of criticism? Why can’t a veteran start an argument? Besides, he only called them idiots, threatening to sue, which many netizens see as a very restrained response.

Thus Li Yifei posted two consecutive tweets; after his comments, he wasn’t done, but kept an eye on online trends.

Meanwhile, Ning Xin’er said, "Honey, is making a fuss really good?"

"You’re the one in the business; any crisis is an opportunity. You know better than I do, and besides, when the other side is attacking you so disgustingly, as your man, I can’t stand it!" Li Yifei reached over to pinch Ning Xin’er’s slightly pursed lips, smiling, and said, "Nobody bullies my darling, not even me!"

Ning Xin’er indeed cracked a smile, pecked Li Yifei’s fingers, her eyes wide with defiance, saying, "Then let’s go for it, I’ve been in this circle long enough; though I’ve faded away, it doesn’t mean anyone can step on me!"

During the time Li Yifei was online arguing, Ning Xin’er had long figured out the whole story. Summer Entertainment Company, full name Huaxia Entertainment Film and Television Company, is one of Huaxia’s leading entertainment companies, with numerous stars, including top film and television actors and singers. Established over ten years ago, its background is said to be strong, its power formidable. Over the past couple of years, after successfully introducing several fresh meat actors, they’ve gone viral, with fans everywhere. Of course, fresh meat only has looks; as for acting skills, vocal talent, or personal ethics, there’s nothing to commend. Essentially, apart from looks and packaged features, their inside is a complete mess, earning them the moniker "Hollow Bamboo" since they possess no real talent or strength. This year there have been successive revelations about fresh meat having affairs with fans, with large numbers of reports, showing the chaos.

Ning Xin’er didn’t belong to Summer Entertainment previously, but she indeed had some history with them, precisely conflicts. During her heyday, she was one of the top female stars in Huaxia, known for her pure and innocent image, true to character in every way. Whether in singing or acting, she maintained high standards, not selling sleaze, not courting gossip, not engaging in ambiguous relations with male stars or billionaires. This also related to the Ning family’s extraordinary status in Capital City, ensuring she remained untainted.

Had it not been for Li Yifei... Ning Xin’er might now not need to retire at the peak of her career. Summer Entertainment’s CEO, named Xia Hai, just hearing the name evokes 1980s or 1990s vibes, and in fact, he’s already forty-five this year. Back then, in his thirties, Xia Hai merged several small entertainment companies; initially he was not powerful and didn’t have any notable signed artists under his belt, weak in film, television, and music. However, Xia Hai’s background was strong, his family also based in Capital City, so relying on these backgrounds Xia Hai quickly developed Summer Entertainment, using many tactics to sign a batch of film and TV stars. Among this group, some achieved better development under his company, while others completely fell off, lost fame, and even exited the industry.

Likewise, the two top female stars from the old days, one has already passed away, and the other has become irrelevant, reportedly seen occasionally, found to be very old. Entertainment news had many evaluations, but Ning Xin’er knew that those two actresses had looks, acting talent, and sang well, yet because of Xia Hai, those two became his spoils; as Summer Entertainment gradually became a giant in the industry, suppressing small companies, exerting pressure on competitors, and exploiting the market. Their affiliated stars both enjoyed privileges and had to pay a price. Those two actresses’ fortunes took a big turn, they were seized by Xia Hai without him providing them good futures. The specific reasons are unknown, but essentially they were abandoned by Xia Hai, at the same time industry-banned, ending their careers and leading them to ruin.

Such things are too common in the industry; when men and women enter this circle, they can’t expect good fortunes. In the world of capital, actors are ultimately actors, and there are too many disgusting things in the industry. It’s hard to maintain purity. Had it not been for family background, Ning Xin’er would have been finished long ago. She saw firsthand the helplessness of close friends entering this circle. You want to stand out, become a star, get ahead, yet without family, wealth, or connections, it’s nearly impossible. No one recognizes your true abilities.

A friend’s misfortune further strengthened Ning Xin’er’s conviction not to conform or fulfill those people’s desires, allowing them to persecute her.