How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 452 The truth comes out
“Old Tian, ​​you’ve misunderstood. I know the announcement during the day upset you… Chairman Zheng had no choice. If someone isn’t found to take responsibility, the association and the Golden Melody Awards will be finished.”

Don't give me that!

"Old Tian, ​​the association will give priority to your family's cultural company in future cooperative projects. This is a lucrative opportunity, enough for you and your son to live a life of luxury."

"Old Tian, ​​I've thought of something for you. You and Xiaoyu will continue to pretend to have cognitive impairment. When facing reporters and netizens tomorrow, talk nonsense and act like you can't remember anything..."

"As the vice president, I guarantee that as long as you cooperate, you will receive plenty of benefits!"

"..."

The video on the phone clearly recorded the shady dealings between Sun Shiping and Tian Boyang, and their conversations echoed in the hospital corridor, spreading across the internet through live broadcasts by reporters and online anchors.

The video ends when Sun Shiping walks out of the ward.

The corridor was unusually quiet, as everyone was processing what they had just seen.

Tian Yu waved his phone and shouted at the reporters and internet celebrities in front of him, "Did you see that? My dad was pushed out by the Music Association and the Golden Melody Awards committee to take the blame. They promised him a lot of benefits and made him bear all the blame. In fact, my dad was wronged."

At this point, he looked angry again and continued his accusation: "But just now, when Sun Shiping saw that my dad was experiencing cognitive impairment again, he suddenly changed his mind. We were all deceived by Sun Shiping. He is a complete scoundrel. He even hit me with a hot water bottle. Look at my hand!"

As Tian Yu spoke, he showed the reporter his scalded red hands, trying to portray himself as a victim.

When everyone saw it clearly, their eyes were filled with shock. No one expected that the vice president of the music association would be so heartless and crazy. Not only did he go back on his word, but he also wanted to kill them.
The first older reporter to react pushed to the front and asked excitedly, "Tian Yu, is this video real? Did Sun Shiping really promise your family a project and make you fake illness and take the blame? Do the Music Association and the Golden Melody Awards committee know about this?"

His question was like a switch, instantly breaking the deathly silence in the corridor. Other reporters rushed forward like madmen, and questions rained down on Tian Yu like hail.

"Tian Yu, when did this happen? How long have you and Teacher Tian been pretending?"

"When Sun Shiping mentioned Chairman Zheng, was he referring to Zheng Jinpeng, the chairman of the music association? Did he also know about this matter? What role did he play in the whole affair?"

"You and your father agreed to take the blame for your own benefit, deceiving the vast number of fans and netizens. Don't you have any conscience?"

"..."

One question after another arose. The two internet celebrities, who were live streaming on their phones, became so excited by the rapidly increasing number of viewers in their live stream that they became incoherent. One of them even shouted until his voice cracked.

"Family members, did you all see that? Sun Shiping made Tian Boyang pretend to be sick and take the blame, and even promised to keep the project quiet. The Music Association and the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee are collectively covering for him!"

The live stream chat exploded instantly, perhaps because they had seen some big news. The gift effects were so numerous that the screen was almost invisible, and the entire comment section became a forum for netizens to complain.

"Holy crap! It was all planned from the start. When Tian Boyang was confused, Sun Shiping used him as a scapegoat. When Tian Boyang was sober, he used the project to cover it up."

“Sun Shiping is disgusting. He makes promises of benefits with sweet words, but now that he’s met Tian Boyang, he’s confused and turns his back on him, even throwing a thermos at him.”

"And the Music Association and the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee, it turns out they are the real masterminds behind the scenes. All those investigation statements and results are lies."

"..."

Just as Tian Yu was about to answer the reporter's questions, Sun Shiping rushed out of the ward.

He had just heard what Tian Yu said, so he snatched the phone from the other person's hand and smashed it on the ground. Not satisfied with that, he stomped on it a few times, breaking it into pieces.

When the crowd saw Sun Shiping's ferocious face, they all retreated in fear. Only when he stopped did they dare to step forward and ask the questions that had been on their minds.

"Vice President Sun, is the video real?"

"You smashed your phone because the video is real, and you wanted to destroy the evidence, right?"

"You mentioned Chairman Zheng in the video. Did Chairman Zheng already know about your dealings with Tian Boyang, or was this something Chairman Zheng asked you to do?"

Sun Shiping gritted his teeth, suppressing the urge to beat Tian Yu, and said to the reporter in front of him, "The video is fake. It was made by Tian Yu using AI. I never said those words to Tian Boyang."

"Why would he frame you?" the older reporter asked.

“It’s very simple. His father was expelled from the association and removed from his position as head of the judging panel by the Golden Melody Awards organizing committee. There’s no way he can get any benefits from the association anymore, so he made this video to try to threaten me. When he saw that I didn’t agree, he put on this show himself,” Sun Shiping said without changing his expression.

In his view, since the phone has already been smashed and there's no way to prove anything now, he can say whatever he wants.
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately looked at Tian Yu standing to the side.

"Tian Yu, is that so?"

"Did you really create the video using AI?"

Tian Yu was shocked by Sun Shiping's shamelessness and immediately unleashed his trump card: "The video is real, I can prove it."

"Oh? How can you prove it? You're not going to swear again, are you?" Sun Shiping said with a sneer, his eyes full of mockery.

Ignoring Sun Shiping's provocation, Tian Yu continued to tell the reporters, "After my dad filmed that video, he backed it up and uploaded it to the cloud. I can send the video to you all, and you can do the testing as you please."

Upon hearing this, Sun Shiping's expression changed immediately. He hadn't expected Tian Boyang to be so cunning, not only secretly filming the video but also making a backup. In that case, wouldn't his previous explanation of 'AI production' have become a cover-up?
The reporters, caught off guard by the unexpected turn of events, immediately turned their cameras to Sun Shiping. "Vice President Sun, Tian Yu is willing to submit the video for examination. What do you say?"

"Vice President Sun, is the video real or fake? You don't even remember what you did, do you?" an internet celebrity asked.

Sun Shiping was already in a bad mood, and when he was asked this question, he became furious. He slapped the phone out of the internet celebrity's hand and shouted, "What are you doing? Who gave you permission to take pictures of me? You are violating my portrait rights. I'm going to sue you."

Seeing Sun Shiping's flushed face, what else could the reporters not understand?

It's obvious who's lying.

As everyone looked at Sun Shiping, their gazes gradually turned contemptuous.

As the vice president of the music association, he lied to the media repeatedly. How can such a person manage the music association well?

The internet celebrity picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground, and upon seeing the crack on the screen, she was overjoyed.

For him, this was an incredible windfall; what did it matter if he knocked the phone away? He should have been hit instead.

Despite his thoughts, he feigned anger and said to the camera, "Family members, Sun Shiping knocked my phone away, and the screen is cracked. Should I call the police?"

The comments section was filled with replies suggesting "call the police," partly because they felt deceived and were furious, and partly because they enjoyed watching the drama unfold, thinking the bigger the commotion, the better, since it had nothing to do with them anyway.

When Sun Shiping met the reporters' disdainful gazes, his heart skipped a beat. Coupled with the internet celebrity's incessant rambling, his anger was instantly ignited, and he once again reached out to snatch the phones from their hands.

"Still taking pictures? I'll let you take pictures, I'll film you to death!"

Sun Shiping's roar echoed throughout the hospital corridor; he seemed to have gone mad.

Before the young reporter holding the phone could react, Sun Shiping snatched the phone away and smashed it against the wall.

With a "crack!" the device shattered in two, and the screen cracked like a spider web.

"My phone!" The young reporter hurriedly reached for it, but Sun Shiping shoved him away, causing him to stumble and bump into the wall, a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder.

Sun Shiping didn't stop; he then pounced on several internet celebrities who were live-streaming on their phones.

However, these online celebrities were prepared and held their phones high to prevent Sun Shiping from snatching them away.

However, Sun Shiping did not let these people go. He first grabbed their shoulders, and when he saw that he could not pull them down, he let go and slapped them.

"Snapped!"

"Crack!" "Crack!"

The internet celebrity was forced to retreat repeatedly as he was beaten, his phone shaking violently, and the live stream became extremely chaotic. However, the internet celebrity did not stop the live stream, shouting while being beaten: "Family members, Sun Shiping is beating people, and he even tried to smash our phones!"

The corridor was in complete chaos. Fan Cheng tried to stop it, but Sun Shiping kicked him away.

Seeing this, others could only protect their equipment and retreat, fearing they would be the next victims. Some even recorded Sun Shiping's violence while hiding.

In the footage, Sun Shiping, with disheveled hair, blood at the corner of his mouth, and a ferocious expression, chases after people, snatching their phones and beating them. Where is the dignity of the vice president of the music association?

Sun Shiping has gone mad with killing!

Looking at the deranged vice president, Fan Cheng felt as if the sky had fallen.

Finished!

The vice president is definitely finished.

"Ring ring ring!"

Just then, someone's cell phone suddenly rang.

The group exchanged glances, then their eyes finally fell on Sun Shiping, as if his phone was ringing.

Sun Shiping realized it was his phone, stood there catching his breath, and then took the phone out of his pocket.

It was Chairman Zheng's call.

"Hey, what's up?" Sun Shiping asked irritably, completely losing his previous humility.

"Old Sun, are you crazy? The whole internet is watching you beat people up and smash phones. Stop this immediately and apologize to the reporters here," Zheng Jinpeng ordered sternly, sweat pouring down his forehead.

He just received a call from his superiors and was severely reprimanded. Not to mention Sun Shiping, even he, the chairman, is now in danger.

"You're the one who's crazy!" Sun Shiping cursed. "Zheng Jinpeng, if you hadn't taken bribes from others to make us change the list of winners for the Golden Melody Awards, how could things have turned out like this? It's all because of you. You ruined the Golden Melody Awards, and you still want me and Tian Boyang to take the blame? Go to hell!"

Sun Shiping's roar was like a thunderclap, instantly plunging the corridor into silence.

Everyone looked at Sun Shiping in surprise, never expecting that things would develop to this point with such a juicy twist. "You... what nonsense are you spouting?" Zheng Jinpeng's voice trembled in the receiver as he said in a panic, "When did I accept any bribes? When did I ask you to change the list of winners? Sun Shiping, don't make false accusations!"

Standing not far away, Zhang Wen heard the voice on the phone. He originally thought Sun Shiping was the mastermind, but he didn't expect there was an even bigger fish.

It seems that Li Lehua went to great lengths to prevent him from winning the award.

"Slanderous accusations?" Sun Shiping said angrily, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Who told me that Zhang Wen had offended someone and that we should teach him a lesson? And who decided to shift all the blame to Tian Boyang when public opinion was at its peak?"

Upon hearing this, the reporters who had been hiding far away rushed forward like mad dogs seeing a meat bun, pointing their cameras at Sun Shiping and almost pressing their recording pens against his phone.

The chat room erupted in excitement, with the number of viewers even exceeding one million.

"My God, it turns out Zhang Wen's award was stolen by the president of the music association."

"Zheng Jinpeng, as the president, actually altered the list of award winners. He's incredibly audacious!"

“I suspect this is not the first time Zheng Jinpeng has done this, and I strongly suggest that the relevant departments investigate back five years.”

"..."

Zheng Jinpeng on the other end of the phone panicked completely and said in a low voice, "Sun Shiping, I think you've really gone mad. Get back to Beijing right now and let's talk face to face."

He knew very well that someone on Lao Sun's end was broadcasting live, and there were some things that were really inconvenient to say over the phone.

Zheng Jinpeng's voice came through the receiver, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell that he was afraid—afraid that Sun Shiping would reveal more secrets on camera during the live broadcast.

Sun Shiping gripped his phone tightly, looking at the expectant reporters, then suddenly revealed a twisted smile and said coldly, "Talk face to face? Talk about what? Talk about how you accepted bribes from Li Lehua to get you to change Zhang Wen's award to someone else? Or talk about how you controlled the award results and then shifted the blame to a person with cognitive impairment?"

He deliberately emphasized the three characters "Li Lehua" as if he wanted to carve them into everyone's ears.

"Wow—"

The reporters' eyes lit up immediately. They thought they had almost finished eating the gossip, but they didn't expect there to be more.

"Sun Shiping, is the Li Lehua you mentioned the general manager of Tianxi Media? What benefits did he give Zheng Jinpeng?" the older reporter asked immediately.

"You just mentioned that Zhang Wen offended someone. Is that person Li Lehua?"

“Vice President Sun, as far as I know, Zhang Wen is also an employee of Tianxi Media. Why is Li Lehua targeting his own employee?”

When Zhang Wen, who was standing outside the crowd, heard the name "Li Lehua," a cold smile flashed in his eyes.

Just as he suspected, the person behind all this was indeed Li Lehua.

The truth has finally come to light.

“It’s very simple.” Sun Shiping continued to reveal: “Because Zhang Wen made the Future Girls group famous, and the Future Girls group re-signed a contract with Tianxi Media, changing the revenue sharing to a fixed payment, Li Lehua is now jealous, so he wants to suppress Zhang Wen and the Future Girls group.”

He wanted to vent all the grievances he had suffered these past few days, as well as the anger in his heart, at this moment.

As I said before, if we're going to die, we'll die together; nobody's going to have a good time.

The reporters' eyes were filled with excitement; they hadn't expected so many juicy stories today—it was truly a feast for the eyes.

In the live stream, besides some netizens who follow entertainment gossip, there were also some fans of Zhang Wen and Future Girls. Upon hearing Sun Shiping's revelations, they were immediately enraged and left comments in the comment section.

"Li Lehua is shameless. He even suppresses the artists in his own company. Ugh."

"Li Lehua is blind and narrow-minded. He is not worthy of being the general manager of Tianxi Media. He should resign and get out of the entertainment industry immediately."

"It turns out that Zhang Wen and the Future Girls group were not only robbed of their award, but also targeted by their boss over money. It's just too tragic."

"I support the future girl group terminating their contract, so they won't suffer any more injustices at Tianxi Media."

Zheng Jinpeng, on the other end of the microphone, was furious that Lao Sun would dare to say such a thing. He said in a stern voice, "Vice President Sun, don't talk nonsense. You are the vice president of the association. You need to have evidence for your words. You have to be responsible for every word you say!"

"Hehe, Zheng, we've worked together for so many years, do you think I don't know who you are? Don't try to scare me with words like that."

At this point, Sun Shiping revealed an almost maniacal smile and said to the reporters, "I know some of you think I'm retaliating or trying to smear you, but I, Sun Shiping, swear here today that every word I say is true. If there is even half a lie, I am willing to bear all legal responsibility."

“Sun Shiping!” Zheng Jinpeng roared into the microphone, “You’re going to ruin everyone, including yourself.”

“Didn’t you originally intend to destroy me?” Sun Shiping retorted angrily.

The moment Tian Yu released the video, he knew he was finished. The association couldn't protect him, and based on his understanding of the chairman, he knew he definitely wouldn't.

"you……"

Zheng Jinpeng was speechless after being choked, and finally slammed down the phone.

For him, now that the incident has already occurred, the most important thing is not to continue arguing with Sun Shiping, but to find a way to quell the matter.

"Ring ring ring!"

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was Li Lehua's number.

Anger burned fiercely in Zheng Jinpeng's eyes. If it weren't for Li Lehua, such a huge mess wouldn't have happened.

"Hey?"

"President Zheng, our matter has already become a trending topic. What do you suggest we do now?" Li Lehua asked anxiously.

On the desk in front of her was a tablet computer, which was broadcasting live footage of Sun Shiping going crazy in the VIP ward of Shenzhen Central Hospital.

Although she only watched for a dozen minutes, she did not miss Sun Shiping's revelations, especially when she heard her own name, she was so excited that she almost had a stroke.

Seeing the insults directed at her from netizens in the live stream, she was filled with regret. But there's no going back, and time can't be turned back. All she could do was discuss the next steps with Chairman Zheng.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Isn't this all your fault?" Zheng Jinpeng said irritably, wishing he could strangle the other person.

Li Lehua's lips twitched, feeling resentful.

How could it be her fault?
Manipulating awards didn't just start this year; it happened every year before, it just wasn't exposed.

If anyone is to blame, it's the other party for being incompetent.

As the president, she can't even manage the people in the association, and there's even infighting among them, which is all broadcast live. Can you blame her for all this?
Of course, these thoughts cannot be shared aloud.

"President Zheng, we're all in the same boat now. Arguing won't benefit anyone. Let's think about how to deal with the current situation," Li Lehua reminded him.

Zheng Jinpeng gritted his teeth and finally suppressed his anger. Just as the other party had said, he might need their help in the future.

He thought for a moment before saying, "We absolutely cannot admit to Sun Shiping's accusations. How about this, we'll issue a joint statement later to deny them and put all the blame on Sun Shiping. Also, I'll communicate with Sun Shiping's family to shut him up. You should also contact the media to try to reduce the amount of coverage about Sun Shiping."

"Understood," Li Lehua said.

She knew very well that there was only one path left for the two of them: to deny it. Otherwise, the "behind-the-scenes manipulation of the Golden Melody Awards" would be enough to get them blacklisted by the entertainment industry.

The other party will be removed from the position of president, and she herself will be forced to withdraw from the management of Tianxi Media.

“I’ll draft it and send it to you in a bit,” Zheng Jinpeng said coldly.

"Thank you, Chairman Zheng."

After hanging up the phone, Li Lehua breathed a sigh of relief, his eyes fixed on Sun Shiping in the live broadcast, wishing he could tear him to pieces.

At the same time, she felt very puzzled.

Sun Shiping had always been polite to her in the past, and the two had no deep-seated grudges or conflicts of interest. Why would he expose her this time?

As far as she knows, among all the awards presented at this year's Golden Melody Awards, not only did she contact the association, but someone else also treated Chairman Zheng to a meal.

Besides, Sun Shiping has been the vice president for so many years, surely he has no dirt on him?

Li Lehua became increasingly confused, and Sun Shiping in the live broadcast room also seemed like a complete stranger to her.

Is this really Sun Shiping, who both curses and hits people?
Huh?
Li Lehua suddenly paused, reached for the tablet computer, and stared intently at the screen.

The camera just panned across the hospital corridor, and she saw a familiar figure, it looked like... Zhang Wen.

As far as she knew, Zhang Wen was in Shenzhen, accompanying the Future Girls group to the rehearsal for the China TV New Year's Eve Gala, and Tian Boyang's hospitalization seemed to be related to this person as well.

Isn't it said that Tian Boyang's cognitive impairment was caused by a stroke resulting from angering this person?
Could Sun Shiping's madness also be related to this man surnamed Zhang?
Was Sun Shiping bribed by Zhang Wen, which is why he revealed the information on camera?

No way!
I heard that the two had a verbal conflict backstage at the New Year's Eve gala rehearsal; they should be mortal enemies.

Could it just be a coincidence?

She watched for a while longer, but Zhang Wen never appeared in the live stream again.

Did I see it wrong?
Li Lehua rubbed his eyes, and only looked away from the tablet after Zheng Jinpeng sent him a written denial statement.

Perhaps, it's just that they have similar body shapes.

……

(End of this chapter)