After the empress transmigrated, she became the judge of the entertainment industry.

Chapter 326 From Spark to Darkness

Shen Qing's affair caused quite a stir back then.

Even Ye Jin'er, who doesn't pay much attention to the entertainment industry, knows about it.

Moreover, he had met Shen Qing once before, probably backstage at some ceremony. She gave off a feeling of being a little sun, leaving a deep impression on him.

Back then... it must have been eight years ago. He had only recently formed his team, and Shen Qing had just debuted through an idol talent show. Everything seemed so perfect, and everyone had a bright future ahead of them.

Just a few days later, Shen Qing was exposed for drug abuse, which was later said to be...

"Is the story of dying from a drug overdose false?"

Shen Ji, who was about to continue speaking, was clearly stunned. He did not expect that someone like Ye Jin'er would have an impression of Shen Qing.

Shen Qing's fame was fleeting; although she gained immense popularity during the talent show, it all ended because of an incident...

Later, public opinion continued to criticize Shen Qing, and his reputation became very bad...

Shen Ji's eyes reddened. He thought that after so many years, he would no longer be saddened by this, but he never expected that someone would still remember Shen Qing...

“He’s not that kind of person… How could he possibly get involved in these things? He wanted to be a big star since he was a child. Even in the orphanage, he practiced singing and dancing non-stop… After I started working and became able to support myself, I brought him out of the orphanage, and he never stopped practicing. I’ve seen it all…”

Shen Ji continued, choking back tears, "How could someone like him abuse drugs after debuting as the center of the group? Even the two nights before his accident, he was talking to me about the upcoming stage arrangements..."

“But nobody believed me. They even said that because I was a disgraced celebrity, it was already a favor that they wouldn’t hold me accountable… I begged and asked around everywhere, but it was no use. I later found out that they didn’t disbelieve me; they were doing it on purpose.”

"They were originally going to debut as a group called 'SPARK', but because one member was missing, they changed their name and debuted as 'DARK'."

Shen Ji wiped away his tears.

"I'm sorry, I got a little emotional for a moment. I didn't expect you to ask me so directly if it was fake. Of course it's fake, it's just..."

"From sparks to darkness...?"

Ye Jin'er gave a cold laugh.

This really does... have a subtle sense of destiny about it.

"In short, I later gathered some evidence. Actually, I didn't gather it on my own initiative, but shortly afterward, the company's senior management instructed me to have one of my young artists accompany someone for drinks. I found out what Shen Qing had gone through that day by asking around."

“They knew I would definitely not agree, so they bypassed me and tricked Shen Qing into going to the drinking party. He... he went, and then... he didn't want to, so someone forced him to drink alcohol laced with drugs. The dosage wasn't controlled properly... I don't dare to think about what happened to him... I didn't even see his body.”

Shen Ji's tone was filled with hatred and regret as he thought about how the murderer was still at large, how the higher-ups at the time had the attitude that "Shen Qing caused us trouble," and how Shen Qing must have thought she could help him by attending the banquet.

"I have no evidence, and their words are vague. They just implied that if I didn't want the tragedy to repeat itself, the young artists should behave. But the truth should be close to the truth. I've investigated from various sources, and all I know is the list of people who attended the party that day. I don't know who exactly did it..."

Shen Ji wanted to continue speaking, but Ye Jin'er interrupted him.

"It doesn't matter, you just need to provide the list, it doesn't matter who they are. In my opinion, they are all accomplices."

Ye Jin'er's tone was calm and very confident.

Shen Ji suddenly felt an unprecedented surge of courage.

He knew the list by heart and naturally recited it off the top of his head.

"So, the one surnamed Lu was indeed involved, and so was the one surnamed Fu..."

Upon hearing the two names, Ye Jin'er felt a sense of trouble, yet also felt it was within expectations.

The Lu family is indeed wicked... As far as he knows, this person surnamed Lu can only be barely considered a collateral relative.

Ye Jin'er didn't know exactly which mistress or which household had given birth to the child; he had only temporarily memorized the name "Lu Wangxuan."

As for those surnamed Fu, that's a different kind of trouble.

Of course he knew that Fu Shaochen was by his older sister's side. Ye Yifan would not deliberately hide such arrangements concerning the operation of the group from him.

The problem is that this member of the Fu family who was involved in the Shen Qing incident is quite close to Fu Shao Chen and is probably Fu Shao Chen's older brother.

His name is Fu Shaojing...

Eight years ago, Fu Shaojing was closer to the center of power than Lu Wangxuan.

He was even the apparent heir of the Fu family at the time.

Upon hearing the list, Ye Jin'er knew that Fu Shaojing was almost the highest-ranking person present at the time, so regardless of who was responsible, he couldn't possibly be innocent.

Although Fu Shaochen is now living with the Ye family and Fu Shaojing is nowhere to be found, it's hard to say how much brotherly affection the two still have. But if this matter is investigated, Fu Shaochen will definitely be involved.

It's just a matter of whether Fu Shaochen will choose one side or the other.

Ye Jin'er looked troubled, which led Shen Ji to misunderstand.

He sighed. So, it seems one really can't rely on people of the same social class...

Perhaps in their eyes, the lives of orphans like themselves and Shen Qing were utterly insignificant.

Shen Ji was somewhat disappointed, "If it's difficult for you, Mr. Ye..."

"I won't put you in a difficult position."

Ye Jin'er's thoughts wandered for a moment, then she immediately said, "Don't misunderstand, I was thinking about how to deal with these heartless bastards. From what you're saying, they've done this more than once? Seriously, what kind of look is that? I'm not like them!"

Shen Ji was about to get up and say goodbye.

Don't even mention pretending he was never here. Even if Ye Jin'er were to silence him today, he wouldn't be surprised.

Over the years, if he hadn't pretended to be devastated and utterly dejected, he would have been dealt with long ago.

In fact, several incidents that seemed like accidents but felt rather strange had already occurred before he started causing trouble everywhere...

Shen Ji was lucky to escape, but he also realized that only by preserving his own life could he possibly wait for the day when his name would be cleared. So he endured it.

God knows how heartbroken he was over the years when he saw some aggressive comments under Shen Qing's Weibo posts, and how many times he thought about ending things with her.

But given his status, he had no way of getting close to people like Fu Shaojing.

Then we can only wait.

Fortunately, there is always something to wait for and hope in life.

"Sorry, I thought too much."

Shen Ji looked at Ye Jin'er and said.

He only wanted to take down Xingxuan Company before he came, and he didn't expect to handle Shen Qing's matter through others, but Ye Jin'er's attitude...

"Instead of asking me if I believe you, shouldn't you first ask yourself if you believe me?"

Ye Jin'er smiled.