YPHC Chapter 83

[User S4Z74837908: I am Lin Disheng, male, 54 years old. I am publicly exposing actor @JiangNan’an for falsifying his background and persona, deceiving the public. In reality, his character is extremely poor, with a history of misdeeds, using a disguised image to gain audience favor and support. Can you face the trust your fans have in you? When will you let everyone see your true face and ugly nature?]

 

[User S4Z74837908: I am actor @JiangNan’an’s biological father. Jiang Nan’an’s former name was Lin Shu, born in Xizhou Mountain’s Xiaoshi Village, Yuanfeng County, Qinxi Province. He has had a history of misdeeds since childhood, stealing chickens and dogs, disrespecting his parents! At ten years old, he drove his mother to death and showed no remorse, truly a demon! At thirteen, he stole money and all savings from a household in the same village and ran away from home, never to be heard from again. As his father, I have been searching for him for many years, thinking he had died in some corner, not knowing he had already changed his identity and started another life!]

 

[User S4Z74837908: @JiangNan’an, at first I couldn’t believe that a glamorous movie star would be my good-for-nothing child, but after multiple confirmations, he is indeed Lin Shu! I went to find him, wanting to reconnect, but he refused to see me, spoke harshly, and even physically attacked me! Lin Shu, when you deceive others, have you thought about where you came from? Lin Shu, when you live well, have you thought about your father who loved, protected, and cared for you since you were small? Have you thought about your mother who left early? You don’t recognize your father and forget your ancestors, you won’t die well! Please face your past and give everyone an explanation! @JiangNan’an @JiangNan’an @JiangNan’an]

 

The post was accompanied by several photos. Besides the ID photo of Lin Disheng, the self-proclaimed whistleblower, there were personal photos of “Lin Shu.” The image quality was very blurry, like electronic garbage produced by an old-fashioned camera from the last century, but fortunately, they were all close-up shots, so the appearance was clear even through the blur.

 

The boy in the photos was only about eleven or twelve years old, very thin, with messy hair, dry and cracked skin on his face, and dirty, but Jiang Nan’an’s distinctive two moles could be clearly seen-one tear mole by his left eye, and one on the side of his nose bridge, almost confirming his identity.

 

This exposé on Weibo instantly dominated the hot lists of various social media platforms. Because there were so many onlookers, it nearly crashed the Weibo servers.

 

“Damn, this heat is too explosive. Jiang Nan’an is finished this time.”

 

Liang Cheng sat in a swivel chair in the rest area, gleefully scrolling through his alternate account to observe the trend.

 

Across from him, a man in his fifties wearing a dirty jacket slouched in a chair, picking his teeth with a toothpick, snorting disdainfully:

 

“Damn it, I raised that little beast for over ten years. Haven’t seen him for so many years, I thought he was long dead, but it turns out he’s been living the good life in the big city behind my back! Damn it, looking all proper and decent, if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have dared to recognize him! Hey… by the way, when are you going to give me the rest of the money? I’ve said what I needed to say and given what I needed to give, don’t you dare cheat me!”

 

“No, no. After you cooperate with us to record a few more videos in a couple of days to completely destroy Jiang Nan’an, we’ll naturally pay you the remaining amount. The agreed sum, not a penny less.” Mr. Liu sat behind the computer with his hands clasped, maintaining his dignified appearance:

 

“It’s just… we went to great lengths through various channels and coincidences to find you. Having gone to such trouble, we want to resolve everything in one go without future concerns. So we hope you can provide more evidence proving that Lin Shu and Jiang Nan’an are the same person. For example, do you have any more early photos of Lin Shu? These few are probably not enough. Birth certificates or ID cards would be best, or even photos of you and your wife with him would work.”

 

“Boss, you think our poor place can compare to your big city?”

 

Lin Disheng squinted impatiently, the scar at the corner of his eye twitching:

 

“Where would I get such fancy things? Having a child in the village just meant finding a midwife to deliver it, what certificate? Who the hell would take photos of him? These few pictures, I had to get them from old man Li in the village! And wasn’t it you people who wrote that he was called Lin Shu? I don’t even know where that name came from! How are you now asking me to prove it? At my place, he was just called Dog’er. If anyone doesn’t believe he’s that dog’s spawn, let the police investigate! Damn it, he came from my seed, even if he turned to ashes, he’d still be mine!”

 

“…” Mr. Liu listened to his words, frowning slightly.

 

“Haha, it’s fine if you don’t have more. I think this is enough.” Liang Cheng twirled his phone, seeming in a good mood:

 

“I always said that Jiang’s background was too perfect, like an iron bucket with no dirt to dig up, there must be something big behind it! And there is! Damn, if this doesn’t finish him off… He’s been putting on airs like he’s some character, always making me angry…”

 

“Liang Cheng, I hope you understand that this time it’s because the higher-ups felt he didn’t know his place, so they’re teaching him a lesson by forcing him out of the market. It’s not to vent your anger. I hope you behave yourself and keep your messy girlfriends in check. If you continue to be indiscreet and cause trouble for the company, it’s him this time, but next time it could be you. Your dirt is much easier to dig up, and cheaper too.”

 

Mr. Liu interrupted Liang Cheng’s complaints.

 

Liang Cheng was angry but didn’t dare speak up, just rubbed his nose resentfully and said nothing more.

 

–

 

“When I met Nan Nan, he was only fifteen. At that time, ‘Spring Wind’ was recruiting actors online. During casting, I happened to see the work of a street photographer and immediately felt that the child in the picture was the one I wanted. Later, I asked many people before contacting the photographer, and after learning the shooting location, I inquired for a long time before finding that child…”

 

“…The first time I saw him, he was helping move things at a construction site. I talked to him for a long time before he would believe me. He told me his name was A-Shu, but when I asked for his surname, he wouldn’t say. ‘Jiang Nan’an’ was indeed a name given later…”

 

“…About what this whistleblower online is saying, honestly, I don’t know if it’s true or false. I believe Nan Nan isn’t like what he describes, but Lin Disheng is probably real. After all, not many people know about Nan Nan’s affairs. The paperwork we did for him at the time was very thorough. If they hadn’t found someone who truly knew the facts, they shouldn’t have been able to dig up these things…”

 

“…He does have quite a few scars, but when we asked him about them back then, he wouldn’t say. He doesn’t like to talk about these things with people. Later, Little Qi took him for quite a few scar revision surgeries. I don’t know if they’ve improved now…”

 

“…Have you seen ‘Spring Wind’? Hearing this, you should know why I had to choose him as my protagonist back then? His personal experience was so similar to what I wanted to express through that film. I only know where he came from and who he originally was, but what he experienced before meeting me… I really don’t know. He’s too cautious, unable to fully trust anyone. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

 

Wei Yinghua’s words kept floating in Yan Jie’s mind as he leaned back in his airplane seat, eyes closed, his heart painfully tight.

 

He had previously wondered if Jiang Nan’an had encountered something bad, if he had suffered too much neglect from his parents, or even harm and abuse.

 

But he hadn’t expected reality to be so much more complex than he had imagined.

 

A-Shu… Jiang Nan’an…

 

Jiang Nan’an had come a very long way, using all his luck to reach where he is today. But perhaps in his mind, everything he now possesses is fake, obtained by A-Shu impersonating Jiang Nan’an. So he can’t let anyone know about those things, can’t let anyone discover A-Shu’s existence.

 

For him, it would be like vividly tearing open his flesh to expose his most shameful core.

 

Yan Jie thought of every time Jiang Nan’an had said to him “you don’t understand,” “I’m not worth it.”

 

And every time, “I’m different from you.”

 

So, he truly didn’t understand.

 

Does he want to run away when he’s loved? Does he think he’s obtained something that doesn’t belong to him? Does he feel insecure? Does he think that Yan Jie only loves the glamorous superstar, believing that the part of him that is A-Shu isn’t worthy of love?

 

Yes…

 

“Hey, by the way, I scrolled through Weibo before boarding, and Weibo was exploding. Did you see that?”

 

The conversation between two girls separated from Yan Jie by just one aisle interrupted his thoughts.

 

“What?”

 

“Don’t you know? Jiang Nan’an’s reputation has collapsed! Wasn’t he your favorite before?”

 

“What?? I didn’t see! How did he fall? I haven’t even found a replacement yet, he can’t fall! Did he sleep with someone or evade taxes??”

 

“Neither. It’s about falsifying his background.”

 

Without internet on the plane, the girl could only recall key details to tell her friend:

 

“Wasn’t it said online that he had a modeling background? But today his biological father suddenly came forward with an exposé, saying he was just a hooligan from a mountain village. He also said he caused his mother’s death, showed no remorse, stole money from his family and neighbors before running away from home, and then was picked by a famous director for a movie and became famous. After that, he refused to acknowledge his father, and even beat him when he came to visit.”

 

“What??” Her friend sighed deeply:

 

“It’s so outrageous, it sounds like fake news… but didn’t they expose him several times before for selling a persona and acting like a diva? It seems there might be some truth to it… Has the person involved responded?”

 

“Not yet. I’m really on pins and needles, when will this plane land? I need internet! I’m so eager to see this drama unfold!”

 

“Sigh… a thief and hooligan who drove his mother to death suddenly transforms into a big star. If this is true, it’s just… just disgusting.”

 

Yan Jie had been quietly listening, but the girl’s use of the word “disgusting” suddenly stung him.

 

Love and hate in the entertainment circle are too fickle. Someone who claims to like a person one second might stand on the opposite side attacking them the next. How many times has Jiang Nan’an heard such things, such words?

 

“…He’s not that kind of person.”

 

Yan Jie’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly as he couldn’t help but speak up.

 

The two girls hadn’t expected someone to suddenly join the conversation, and they looked at him in confusion.

 

Yan Jie closed his eyes behind his sunglasses and sighed softly:

 

“Trust him, okay?”

 

The girl was taken aback, looked at him for a while, and then weakly asked: “Are, are you Spring?”

 

“Mm.”

 

“Okay I believe him, sorry for being presumptuous, but I want to ask, are you and Jiang Nan’an for real??”

 

“…”

 

Yan Jie didn’t know what to feel.

 

He chuckled, a bit tired:

 

“You guess.”

 

The plane landed at Hongqiao Airport half an hour later, and passengers turned off airplane mode on their phones.

 

After two hours without internet on the flight, the accumulated information flooded in like a tide, with “ding dong” sounds continuously ringing throughout the cabin.

 

After Yan Jie spoke up, the two girls beside him didn’t mention anything related to Jiang Nan’an again.

 

Later, as the plane doors opened, the girl and her companion stood up laughing and chatting, picking up their bags to leave. But just as she was about to step into the aisle, Yan Jie from the other side suddenly stood up with a strong reaction, rushing ahead, accidentally bumping into the girl’s shoulder.

 

“I’m sorry…”

 

He vaguely steadied the girl, muttering an apology, but didn’t have time to say more as he hurriedly walked toward the cabin door, seemingly making a phone call on the way.

 

Observant people might have noticed that his hand holding the phone was trembling slightly.

 

Because during the two hours on the plane, he had received two missed calls from Jiang Nan’an and five unread messages.

 

Of the five messages, three were failed voice calls, and as for the remaining two, one was an “I’m sorry.”

 

And the other was “Let’s break up.”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)