The Secret Realm of Time, His and Her Life Through the Changes

As Jie Can predicted, before Zhou Yanruo's online meeting with Qi Qingnan and Jie Can had even ended, she was informed that the fight had become a trending topic, with a blatant headline directly and subtly pointing at Shang Yibo: "[Shocking News: Young Idol Engages in Brawl with Capital Tycoon in Hotel]".

The entertainment news quickly went viral online and swiftly made it to the top of the headlines on major entertainment pages.

The gossipers, always eager for drama, and various forces with ill intentions quickly jumped in, directly naming the veiled allusions: the protagonists of this news are Shang Yibo, a rising young actor, and Jian Zheng, a newly rich and powerful figure in the entertainment industry.

The accompanying picture was too disturbing to look at: a ground covered in scarlet rose petals, and two men, one fat and one thin, writhing together.

The comments and reposts were varied, with some saying the fight broke out over a female celebrity; others saying the relationship between the two men was indescribable, and photos of the two meeting in the suburbs a few weeks earlier were even unearthed.

The IP, "[Gossip Never Ends, Entertainment for Everyone]", even fabricated a report:

According to netizens, the incident occurred in the lobby of a well-known hotel. At the time, young actor Shang Yibo suddenly appeared at the hotel and witnessed Jian Zheng holding a large bouquet of roses, preparing to greet someone. It is rumored that Shang Yibo and Jian Zheng had a serious disagreement over script changes for a film currently in production, and that their conflict had reached a breaking point.

Shang Yibo was already tired of this series of actions. All the online output regarding this incident was driven by profit.

The video conference was temporarily interrupted. Qi Qingnan suggested, "Everyone, please take a moment to review your situation, and we will continue the video conference in an hour."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yanruo pursed her lips and looked at Shang Yibo: "Is this the situation you wanted? My big star, are you satisfied now?"

Shang Yibo could tell that Zhou Yanruo's tone was concerned rather than blaming. "Yanruo, I didn't expect it to turn out like this. I've made you worry again. But anyway, I was planning to leave the entertainment industry anyway, so this might be an opportunity."

Zhou Yanruo's tone turned firm, "I will not let you quit like this. My big star should leave in a grand manner."

She said "my big star" twice in a row, and Shang Yibo felt like he'd been given an effervescent tablet, with uncontrollable bubbles bubbling up to the top of his head. He really wanted to rush to the other side of the table, hug Zhou Yanruo tightly, and tell her what he wanted to say most, "I like you."

Just then, Zhou Yanruo's phone rang at an inopportune moment.

“It’s Ding Jiajia on the phone.” Zhou Yanruo glanced at the caller ID and said to Shang Yibo, then answered the phone, “Hello, Jiajia.”

The voice on the other end of the phone was Jian Zheng's, "Zhou Yanruo, I'm sorry, I know you probably don't want to hear my voice, so I had to use Jiajia's phone to call you."

“Jian Zheng? How come it’s you?” Zhou Yanruo looked at Shang Yibo across the table.

Shang Yibo raised an eyebrow, also quite surprised.

Zhou Yanruo turned on the phone and placed it on the dining table. "What do you want to say?"

Are you with Shang Yibo?

"He's here too, so go ahead and speak."

"I'm at the door. If possible, I'd like to talk to you in person."

Shang Yibo stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and turned back without even looking.

Jian Zheng followed Shang Yibo, with Ding Jiajia behind him, her head bowed.

When Zhou Yanruo saw Jian Zheng's disheveled appearance with bruises all over his face, she finally confirmed that Shang Yibo was not bragging; he had indeed given Jian Zheng a good beating.

Without being told, Jian Zheng and Ding Jiajia sat down quietly.

Ding Jiajia said awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Yibo, Sister Yanruo, I have to help him."

Jian Zheng: "Don't blame Jiajia, I asked him to lend me the phone."

Zhou Yanruo: "Alright, nobody wants to hear your explanations."

Shang Yibo asked dismissively, "What are you trying to say?"

Jian Zheng countered Shang Yibo's question: "Did you tell Zhou Yanruo about Zhang Qian?"

“She knows,” Shang Yibo replied, looking at Zhou Yanruo.

Jian Zheng nodded slightly, then instructed Ding Jiajia, "Go and make some tea for everyone. I might be going to have a long talk." Ding Jiajia responded and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

Zhou Yanruo seemed a little impatient and urged, "Stop being so mysterious. Just say what you have to say and don't waste time."

After a moment, Jian Zheng finally spoke: "I am determined to win the Yuehai Medical Pilot Zone project. I am very sorry about what happened with Chairman Chu."

Shang Yibo angrily interrupted him: "It really was you who did it!"

Zhou Yanruo quickly stopped Shang Yibo: "Yibo, let him continue."

Jian Zheng continued Zhou Yanruo's words, saying, "How did he become so rude? Where did that image of a noble young master and big star go?"

"You're still being cheeky, are you trying to get him to beat you up again?" Zhou Yanruo glared at Jian Zheng.

At this moment, Ding Jiajia finished brewing tea, poured a cup for everyone present, and then said, "You all continue your conversation, I'll go out first."

Seeing her leave, Jian Zheng, who had the same thought in mind, said, "Jiajia, I'll call you after I'm done with my business."

Shang Yibo and Zhou Yanruo exchanged a glance. Just as Shang Yibo was about to explode, Zhou Yanruo nodded slightly to him, signaling him to calm down. Shang Yibo had no choice but to suppress his anger and turn his face away from them.

With a loud bang, the door slammed shut, and the room fell silent for two seconds.

Jian Zheng then slowly opened his mouth and revealed the truth he had uncovered over the years: "The misfortunes and damage to the reputations of my mother, Professor Zhou, Professor Yang, and Professor Yin Bei were all inextricably linked to Yuan Shuling—the highly respected former president of Sunan University."

"Back then, the aquaculture industry in Cuihu Lake in Xichuan was ostensibly guided by municipal policies, based on the environmental report by President Yuan of Sunan University. At that time, there was no dedicated environmental protection department, so the report from Sunan University became the most authoritative basis. Yuan Shuling happened to come from that village that was established as a benchmark for lake products. He not only secretly supported lake aquaculture farmers, but also benefited greatly from it."

My mother, driven by a desire for political achievements, spared no effort in securing policy support for them. However, as environmental problems worsened, Cuihu Lake turned into a red lake due to excessive organic matter. The province began to pay close attention to environmental issues and demanded the cleanup of aquaculture farmers in Cuihu Lake. While carrying out this cleanup task, my mother inadvertently offended these vested interests. Consequently, Yuan Shuling secretly colluded with them to frame my mother, ultimately driving her to her death.

As for the explosion at the research center of Sunan University, although it appeared to be an accidental incident, it concealed a conspiracy orchestrated by Yuan Shuling. He used the resulting fire to not only successfully divert the investigation team's attention but also cleverly frame Professor Zhou and Professor Yang for embezzling experimental funds, causing both professors to suffer severe reputational damage.