Everyone Says I Ride on the Movie King's Fame, Only the Movie King Knows I'm His Creditor - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Qin Yue fell apart very quickly.
It had nothing to do with me or Shen Yan.
It was because several artists under Shengxing came forward one after another, exposing how he had used contracts and public opinion for years to control his artists.
Some said he forced artists to cut off contact with their ordinary friends.
Some said he used fans’ emotions as a weapon, manipulating artists in reverse.
Others released chat logs.
Qin Yue had once said in his own words:
“Fans are knives. Hand one out, and someone will swing it for you.”
That sentence enraged everyone.
Including Shen Yan’s fans.
Many of the people who had once cursed me the most viciously came to my Weibo to apologize.
Some wrote long essays.
Some sent private messages.
Some said:
I’m sorry. I really thought you were just clout-chasing before.
I didn’t reply to all of them.
It wasn’t because I was aloof.
It was because I wasn’t magnanimous enough to immediately forgive every bit of harm done to me.
But I also stopped staying up late the way I had before, reading through every malicious comment one by one.
Dark Tide did very well at the box office.
I received a new script.
Not because of the label “Shen Yan’s creditor.”
The director said, “I saw your scene on the witness stand and thought you were right for this role.”
After I hung up, I sat by the window in a daze for a long time.
Shen Yan sent me a message.
Shen Yan: Is it convenient to repay my debt today?
I replied: I don’t need money today.
Shen Yan: Do you need dinner?
I glanced at the completely empty fridge in my kitchen.
Lin Tang: I do.
Only after I sent it did I realize I’d typed my own name wrong.
I was just about to withdraw the message when Shen Yan had already replied.
Shen Yan: The creditor’s name change is still valid.
I laughed so hard I collapsed onto the table.
That evening, he came to my place with two portions of wontons.
They tasted very much like the ones from that place outside the gates of Hengdian seven years ago.
Halfway through eating, I suddenly asked him, “Shen Yan, why did you say back then that you’d repay me for the rest of your life?”
He set down his spoon.
“Because back then, I really couldn’t afford to pay you back.”
“What about now?”
“Now I can afford the money.”
He looked at me.
“But some debts only grow the more you try to repay them.”
I lowered my head and bit into a wonton.
My ears felt a little hot.
“For example?”
“For example, the three months you were cursed at.”
“For example, the seven years I failed to step forward in time.”
“For example…”
He stopped there.
I looked up.
“For example what?”
The tips of Shen Yan’s ears were visibly red.
“For example, the fact that I like you. I’ve owed you that for a long time too.”
The hand I was holding my spoon with paused.
A car drove past outside, and light flickered through the gap in the curtains.
I thought of the boy from seven years ago, sitting by the roadside and saying he didn’t want to die.
I thought of him seven years later on the red carpet, pulling my shawl properly around me and saying he wanted to repay his debt.
In truth, what he owed me had never been just money.
And what I owed him was more than a single “I’ll give you points for sincerity.”
I asked, “Then how are you going to repay this debt?”
Shen Yan looked at me.
“Can I pursue you?”
I smiled.
“Shen Yan, isn’t it a little late for you to be asking that now?”
He was very serious.
“It’s not too late.”
“Why not?”
“The creditor hasn’t closed the case yet.”
