Chapter 2: The Trial! Torturing All the Newborns

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Faced with Xu Qingfeng’s national treasure opening move, Li Deshou, who was confident of victory, was dumbfounded by the scolding. He racked his brains but couldn’t understand how Xu Qingfeng, whose reputation had already collapsed, dared to act this way.

Before his downfall, Xu Qingfeng was still respectful toward him. Now that his reputation was ruined, he actually dared to insult him?

Something was definitely wrong—more than wrong, it was completely off.

Li Deshou pondered for a long time, wondering where Xu Qingfeng’s confidence came from. Did another company want to sign him?

Impossible. A celebrity like him was a prized asset before the scandal; after the fall, he was a nobody. Who would want him?

Did some powerful figure have his back? That was unlikely. If a big shot truly supported Xu Qingfeng, the scandal would have been swept under the rug immediately, never allowing things to escalate this far.

It was baffling.

Unable to figure it out, Li Deshou growled, “Xu Qingfeng, have you lost your mind? Do you still think you’re a top-tier celebrity? I think you don’t even know who you are...”

“Who am I? I’m your daddy!” Xu Qingfeng hung up, refusing to waste any more breath on Li.

The ridiculous ultimatum to give him one day to consider was clearly an attempt to corner him. In the past, Xu Qingfeng would have had no choice but to compromise, since he was just a face and a brand riding the wave of popularity.

But not anymore.

Negotiating a contract extension with the company was pointless now. Continuing to discuss it was just a waste of time.

The online scandals couldn’t be refuted because they were true: bad tailoring, diva behavior, disrespecting seniors—he had all the problems typical of a popular star. Any attempt to clarify would only make him look worse.

But all of this was orchestrated by the company. Xu Qingfeng had no say. As a star who owed his rise entirely to the company, he had no bargaining power.

A few years ago, singer-songwriters who excelled were favored in the entertainment industry. So the company crafted Xu Qingfeng’s image as a prodigious songwriter when he debuted.

At first, he was thrilled, thinking the company was truly a talent scout who recognized his creative genius, so he wrote songs day and night.

But all those songs ended up in the trash.

He had to claim the songs written by the hot teams as his own.

He wanted to refuse but was coerced into submission by the company’s threats and bribes.

Making money on his knees was still making money.

As for lip-syncing, the reason was even more absurd.

When he debuted, the company hyped him as a genius singer-songwriter. If he was a genius, surely he could sing, right?

Actually, Xu Qingfeng’s singing was passable, but in the singer community, he barely scored a 30 out of 100.

Yet the company’s hype raised fans’ expectations sky-high, leaving Xu Qingfeng no choice but to lip-sync to satisfy the audience.

As for diva antics and bullying, those were nothing special in the entertainment circle. Such scandals were common.

His only luck was that he hadn’t committed any crimes and thus didn’t risk a prison sentence.

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When he first transmigrated, Xu Qingfeng still wanted to struggle. Being a fallen top celebrity was still being a top celebrity. Scandals that bring both infamy and fame could still make money, and making money was nothing to be ashamed of.

But unfortunately, the company had no intention of giving him a way out. They took away all his resources, demanded compensation for endorsements, and even wanted him to pay out of pocket. The revenue share for contract renewal was slashed to the minimum, with harsh clauses and threats that refusal to renew would lead to his complete ruin.

Even Li Hongzhang wouldn’t dare to sign such a contract.

Signing meant becoming the company’s slave with no freedom whatsoever.

Enough was enough!

Not only did the company want him gone, but the whole entertainment industry wanted him dead.

“When one whale falls, all life thrives.” Xu Qingfeng’s downfall was good for everyone.

But what really made Xu Qingfeng decide to completely sever ties was the voice ringing in his mind.

The familiar system voice straightened his back.

[ Ding~ System Check in Progress... ]

[ Host’s mental state detected as agitated ]

[ Host’s reputation detected as collapsed ]

[ Activation conditions met. Welcome to the Entertainment Industry Grave Digger System ]

[ As a top celebrity in the entertainment world, you have the duty to clean up the industry. Puppet economics, data manipulation, shady contracts, lawbreakers’ armor, medical beauty zombie armies—all must be dealt with. Send them to hell. ]

[ You will become the King of Hell in the entertainment industry, judging all the newborn sinners! ]

[ Entertainment industry cleanup mission: Book of Life and Death ]

[ The entertainment world is decadent, and many stars succumb to temptation and crime. These vile phenomena need your purge. You will become the nightmare of all stars. For each exposed scandal, physical fitness +1, lottery chance +1. ]

???

“What kind of reward is this? Increasing physical fitness?”

Xu Qingfeng was baffled. What use was better physical fitness? To avoid ganks?

Wow, the system was clearly worried about him being drowned.

True enough, the entertainment industry was a cesspool not everyone could survive. One wrong move, and you’d end up at the bottom of a river or crushed by a mud truck.

Even stars who fell from grace didn’t dare to completely burn bridges. Despite the industry’s stench, many turtles lurked beneath, so disappearing physically was common.

“You want me to expose scandals, but you have to give me info, right?” Xu Qingfeng murmured.

He was a top star, yes, but he wouldn’t know others’ dirt. Even if he did, without evidence, he couldn’t just accuse people.

[ Skill unlocked: Blackmail Vision, Level 1 ]

[ Scan up to three entertainment figures’ scandals daily, including tax evasion, plagiarism evidence, capital transaction records, and more. ]

“Nice!” Xu Qingfeng exclaimed.

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With Blackmail Vision, he would become the living King of Hell feared by everyone in the industry.

There were hardly any clean people in the entertainment world. Behind the glamorous facades hid dirty, stinking souls.

If he could dig up their dirt, Xu Qingfeng could turn the tables and feast on their misery.

You like to feast on others’ misery? Come on, I’ll give you a taste!

If they don’t want me to live, then no one shall survive.

Having made up his mind, the phone rang again.

“Xu Qingfeng, have you lost your mind?”

Li Deshou’s bark came through.

“Lower your voice, you’re disturbing me.” Xu Qingfeng rubbed his ear.

“Xu Qingfeng, think carefully. If you don’t come out to clarify, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.”

“What consequences?”

“Being completely blacklisted in the industry, never having a chance to make a comeback. And... you’d better behave...” Li Deshou went on and on.

“All right.”

“Hah, you think refusing helps? Let me tell you..."

“Wait, what did you just say?” Li Deshou doubted his ears.

“I agree to apologize.”

“You weren’t so arrogant before?”

“That was just hot air.”

Li Deshou faltered, feeling like he’d punched cotton—utterly frustrated.

Gritting his teeth, he said, “Good sense. I advise you to clarify today, and we’ll change the revenue share to 19%. Sign tomorrow, or face the consequences.”

Fearing there might be a recording, Li Deshou didn’t say anything incriminating.

“Fine, I’ll clarify tonight,” Xu Qingfeng replied decisively.

???

Such a straightforward answer stunned Li Deshou. After a long silence, he said, “I’ll send you the script later. Don’t mess around.”

Xu Qingfeng laughed upon receiving the script.

Entertainment industry, your daddy has arrived.