In this boundless cold and darkness, the only thing keeping him from utterly collapsing was the business card hidden in the water tank, and the brief but crucial phone call with Su Yuqing. It was the last ember of hope in his heart, reminding him that the storm outside wasn't the whole truth, that someone was still working to uncover the truth, and that he himself wasn't entirely powerless; he still had an unfinished mission—to find evidence and reveal the truth.
However, the hope of obtaining evidence seemed so slim in his current situation. Isolated from the company's core, struggling even for basic necessities, how could he possibly touch those tightly guarded secrets?
One late night, he was awakened by a series of urgent knocks on the door. His heart leaped into his throat. He held his breath, afraid to make a sound. A drunken male voice came from outside, mumbling "liar," "get out of the entertainment industry," pounding on the door.
Lin Chen huddled behind the door, trembling, until security guards came and persuaded him to leave. Listening to the fading sounds of cursing and footsteps outside, he slid down the door and sat on the floor, his pajamas soaked with cold sweat.
At that moment, the fear of safety overwhelmed everything.
He realized that staying here would not only ruin his future, but also jeopardize his basic personal safety. Xingyao Entertainment could easily orchestrate an "accident" to make him "naturally" disappear into the mire of public opinion.
He had to leave! He had to find a way to escape the current surveillance, find a relatively safe place, and then plan for the future!
Once this thought arose, it became incredibly strong. He began to secretly plan. He still had a little savings, enough to cover cheap rent and basic living expenses for a while. He needed to find a place far from the city center, with lax management, and where he didn't need to register his real identity.
Like a trapped beast searching for a cave in the dead of winter, he began using his old phone to carefully search for rental information in urban villages, planning his escape route and time.
The harsh winter, though suffocating him, didn't break his spirit; instead, it fueled his survival instincts and his determination for a final stand.
He knew that escaping meant a complete break with Xingyao Entertainment, facing even more unpredictable risks.
But he also knew that staying meant certain death.
The thought of escape, like vines sprouting in the darkness, tightly coiled around Lin Chen's heart. Using his old phone, he frantically browsed various rental websites, his eyes fixed on self-built houses in urban villages on the city's outskirts, where strict identity registration wasn't required and rents were low. He calculated his remaining savings, planning how to avoid potential surveillance and disappear silently.
However, just before he was about to put his plan into action, a cold legal document, like a precisely fired crossbow bolt, utterly shattered his escape plans.
The document was delivered directly to his apartment by a representative from Xingyao Entertainment's legal department. It wasn't an email, nor a phone call; two men in black suits, their expressions solemn, handed Lin Chen a thick legal letter and a breach of contract notice in person.
"Mr. Lin, please sign here."
Lin Chen's fingers trembled slightly. He opened the document, and the dense legal clauses and numbers instantly stung his eyes. The core content was simple yet brutal:
"Given that Mr. Lin Chen's inappropriate words and actions have caused significant negative public opinion, severely damaging Xingyao Entertainment's business reputation and economic interests, resulting in the company being unable to recover the huge upfront costs invested in him, and facing claims from multiple partners. According to Article X, Section X of the Artist Management Contract signed by both parties, Lin Chen's actions constitute a material breach of contract."