Her own career had reached a crossroads. Despite the huge impact of her report, opinions within the newspaper were polarized. Those who admired her courage called her "the conscience of journalism," while those who feared the "trouble" she brought saw her as an uncontrollable bomb. The road ahead was destined to be fraught with thorns.
In his rented room, Chen Kai gently wiped the only old record he had salvaged—the one Lin Chen had given him. His studio was destroyed; he had lost his home and his connection to his past musical years. But he didn't regret it. Looking at the ordinary people online speaking out for Lin Chen and singing "Mountain Questions," a glimmer of solace flashed in his clouded eyes. At least, the child's voice hadn't been completely buried. He had paid the price.
Outside the hospital's ICU, Lin Jianguo squatted in a corner, his hands buried deep in his gray hair. His wife was still bedridden back home; he dared not tell her the truth about his son's serious injuries and coma. In just a few months, this already taciturn mountain man's back became even more hunched, as if crushed by an invisible burden. The price his son paid for pursuing his dreams was so devastating; how could he, as a father, bear it?
Behind the high walls, facing the glaring lights of the interrogation room, Lu Tianyu truly felt the weight of the word "price" for the first time. His painstakingly built empire crumbled, those who once groveled before him turned against him, his wife was eager to sever ties, and his children's futures were tarnished. The shrewdness and composure behind his gold-rimmed glasses had vanished, leaving only an empty, ashen void. He might still be plotting how to use legal procedures to prolong his life, but he knew in his heart that what he would pay was the rest of his life and all his reputation.
As for Xingyao Entertainment, the once-mighty behemoth, the price was immeasurable. Its business reputation was bankrupt, partners withdrew, projects came to a complete standstill, it faced astronomical claims and fines, and more importantly, its name was inextricably linked to "shady dealings" and "crime," with no possibility of recovery. The distorted star-making model and values it represents are undergoing a thorough trial amidst nationwide condemnation.
And then there are the countless "Lin Chens" who were harmed by Xingyao Entertainment and oppressed by the industry's unspoken rules. The price they paid may have been the shattering of their dreams, the wasted years of their youth, or eternally unhealable emotional wounds.
There are no true winners in this storm.
Everyone caught in it has paid a heavy price.
Su Yuqing used her and her team's professional risks and even personal safety to measure the value of the truth.
Chen Kai used half a lifetime's worth of effort to measure the weight of morality.
Lin Chen used his young life and all his future possibilities to measure the purity of his dreams against the cruel weight of reality.
This heavy price, like a silent monument, stands beside the road to truth, warning those who follow and questioning this era: How much must we pay for a clean and healthy environment?
And was this price avoidable?