Chapter 24: A Pair of Rose Gold Handcuffs for You

Gao Pengfei turned his head instinctively and saw three police officers standing just a few paces away. His face drained of color in an instant.

He turned to bolt, but before he could take more than a few steps, two officers tackled him to the ground and slapped a pair of rose-gold bracelets onto his wrists.

*Click.*

The officers hauled him to his feet.

"Gao Pengfei, we are detaining you on suspicion of involvement in multiple cases of sexual assault, incitement to suicide, and intimidation. You are required to accompany us to the station to assist with our investigation."

Gao Pengfei’s face was deathly pale, and cold sweat streamed down his body. "I want my lawyer! This is slander!"

One officer replied, "You are free to call your lawyer, but we have a warrant." The other officer presented the document. "We are arresting you in accordance with proper legal procedure. You must come with us now. If you resist, we will be forced to use coercive measures."

Gao Pengfei struggled violently. "This is a frame-up! I never did any of those things!"

How could they have found out? He had been so meticulous, even disposing of the evidence. It was impossible for anyone to have uncovered his tracks.

The two officers dragged the shouting man away as the cameras captured the entire scene clearly.

[Whoa, he's a criminal through and through.]
[I’m absolutely disgusted. So this is who Gao Pengfei really is.]
[The director just said Gao Pengfei incited his head fan to use other fans to target the "Little Aunt-Grandmother." How vicious, doing such a thing to a little girl.]
[A piece of trash like this actually had the nerve to lecture others all day? He has no shame.]

#Gao Pengfei Arrested
#White Lotus Duan Lele Removed from Show

These two hashtags topped the trending list, drawing a surge of viewers to the livestream.

[Wow, is that little girl the legendary "Little Aunt-Grandmother"? She’s so adorable, sharing snacks with her friends.]
[To think there are monsters out there who would target such a sweet child—it makes me furious just to imagine it.]
[Don’t insult animals; animals are much better than that filth.]
[Exactly. Did you see the police report? Gao Pengfei was into everything—drinking, gambling, and prostitution. He even used his celebrity status to assault fans, driving several to suicide.]
[Duan Lele isn't any better. She claimed she made it on her own while relying on a sugar daddy, and she used him to smear better actresses. Videos of her and her patron have already been leaked.]
[Her fans keep calling her beautiful and kind-hearted, but even calling her a venomous viper is a compliment. She exploited her fans for money, treating them like leeks to be harvested.]

Yu Danxue was busy distributing food to her friends. "Xiao Zheng and Xiao Sheng bought these for me," she said happily. "I’ve tried them, they’re delicious."

The children cheered.
"I've never had this candy before, it's better than the ones I’ve eaten."
"This spicy stick is great, I love it."
"Little sister, you're so kind."

Yu Zhisheng and Qi Kang were chatting with the two newly arrived guests: Zhong Guoxing, a veteran actor who had stepped away from the spotlight for years, now in his forties; and Han Qian, a singer-dancer in her twenties known for her viral performances.

"To be honest, I’ve wanted to join this show for a long time just to take a break," said Han Qian, who was refreshingly candid. "My schedule was too packed, so I thought I’d come on this show to rest and gain some fans, but the production team rejected me at first." She laughed. "I didn't expect a turnaround; when they invited me later, I packed my bags immediately."

Zhong Guoxing chuckled, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening. "Xiao Han, aren't you afraid your fans will cry hearing you say that on camera?"

Han Qian waved it off. "It's fine. My fans know exactly who I am."

[Sob, I’m covering my mouth to keep from crying—our sister has ditched her idol image again.]
[I love her so much, but I’m worried the haters will attack her.]
[Mr. Zhong is so kind to look out for her.]
[I’ve noticed the atmosphere between the new guests and Yu Zhisheng and Qi Kang is much more harmonious than before.]
[I noticed that too. These two seem like good people.]

"Mr. Zhong, Han Qian, I need to brief you on the situation with the two children," Yu Zhisheng said, his expression serious. Zhong and Han sat up, listening intently.

"Feng Doudou is a little girl, so I suggest Han Qian looks after her, but..." Yu Zhisheng paused.

Han Qian glanced at Feng Doudou, who was eating snacks nearby, and lowered her voice. "I saw the trending topics before I came."

"They say Feng Doudou was bullied by Duan Lele, which left her emotionally distressed. Is that true?" She had no love for Duan Lele either; the woman was too fake and repulsive. If she hadn't been well-connected, she would have fallen victim to Duan Lele's schemes too.

Yu Zhisheng nodded. "That child has suffered a lot because of her. You both know what Duan Lele is really like. If the Little Aunt-Grandmother hadn't been vigilant, there's no telling what might have happened."

Han Qian patted her chest. "Don't worry, I’ll take good care of her. Such a sweet, precious little girl—I love her already."

Yu Zhisheng then brought up Xiao Yun. "Mr. Zhong, Xiao Yun’s situation is also concerning. He was targeted by Gao Pengfei—not the overt bullying Duan Lele practiced, but rather Gao Pengfei using his status to gaslight him, all while pretending to teach him under the guise of 'doing it for his own good.' If Xiao Yun didn't obey, Gao Pengfei would use all sorts of psychological tactics to punish him."

He had only learned this after speaking with Xiao Yun privately.

[My fists are clenched. I want to kill that dog Gao Pengfei. To think he did that to a child.]
[I told you all he was bad news, but his fans kept making excuses for him.]
[Well, now he’s definitely going to prison, and Duan Lele will be blacklisted. The world has two fewer pests.]

Zhong Guoxing was furious. "I knew Gao Pengfei had poor character—he once tried to frame you during an interview and bought trending topics to smear you. But I never imagined he would do something like this to a child. He has children of his own!"

[What? The time they said Yu Zhisheng was disrespectful to his elders—that was Gao Pengfei framing him?!]
[Our idol told us long ago that some people aren't worth respecting. You lot didn't believe him and felt sorry for Gao Pengfei instead—feeling disgusted now?]
[I’m so sickened, I could punch my past self. I actually helped Gao Pengfei attack Yu Zhisheng. I was such an idiot.]

Yu Zhisheng hadn't cared about that incident in a long time; Gao Pengfei couldn't actually touch him, and in fact, he had the power to blacklist Gao Pengfei himself.