A force from the grassroots and within was quietly surging.
Chen Kai hadn't given up either. He used his remaining connections in the music industry to organize a small, private online memorial service. Attendees listened silently to Lin Chen's early works, especially "Mountain Question." There were no harsh words, only the power of the music itself, silently conveying an untainted sincerity and a lost talent. A recording of this memorial service was later leaked, its pure sorrow and power more moving than any accusation.
Su Yuqing observed all this from the shadows. When she saw those faint yet unwavering lights from different corners of the world, her eyes welled up with tears. She realized that the truth might be temporarily obscured, but once the seed of pursuing justice was sown, it would find resonance deep within humanity and ultimately coalesce into an inextinguishable flame.
The dark clouds of capital still loom large, but glimmers of light begin to shine through the gaps.
These glimmers come from the integrity of intellectuals, the conscience of artists, the courage of ordinary people, and even from the cracks within the fortress of evil.
These glimmers of humanity, though not dazzling, are enough to illuminate the path ahead, giving those who walk in the darkness a final hope and strength.
The vast net of capital and power continues to tighten, but it is not monolithic. When the storm arrives, alliances already fraught with suspicion and conflicting interests are often the first to crumble.
The first crack to appear was in the relationship between Xingyao Entertainment and that Mr. Liu. The evidence released by Su Yuqing's team clearly and irrefutably details Mr. Liu's money laundering and illicit transfer of benefits through the Xingyao project, even including several overseas assets pointing to his immediate family members. This heavy blow has placed Mr. Liu and the forces behind him in a highly passive position.
According to internal sources, General Manager Liu verbally abused Lu Tianyu in a private setting, accusing him of "incompetence" and "leaving loose ends," which implicated him. Meanwhile, Lu Tianyu's side, during interrogation, began to intentionally or unintentionally shift some blame to General Manager Liu, implying that many "business decisions" were made under pressure from Liu's side.
This behavior of shifting blame and prioritizing self-preservation created the first deep rift in the previously solid alliance.
Following this, panic gripped Xingyao Entertainment. With more anonymous revelations from former employees and partners, the company's shady "routine practices" were continuously exposed. The finance department was in turmoil, fearing they would become scapegoats; some agents with resources began secretly contacting other agencies, preparing to jump ship; and those executives who had previously relied on Lu Tianyu and acted arrogantly were now silent, fearing they would be next to be purged.
When a wall falls, everyone pushes it. The "open letter from employees" that had previously stood up to "support" the company now seemed like a joke. More internal employees chose to remain silent or began quietly deleting potentially inappropriate activity logs from their computers.
A larger rift emerged behind the scenes. Marketing accounts and online troll companies previously driven by capital, cheering for or smearing Xingyao, began to feel the dual pressure from the public and the law. Some smaller troll teams were investigated and shut down by the police, serving as a deterrent. Meanwhile, some larger public relations firms began to assess the risks and rewards of continuing to endorse Xingyao, their attitude becoming ambiguous. After all, capital is profit-driven, and when the risks far outweigh the rewards, loyalty becomes a bargaining chip that can be discarded at any time.