Chapter 74: Chapter 74: She Has the Nation Behind Her

The entire internet is calling for Zou Ying to fulfill the bet.

Zou Ying was completely stunned by this blow, his mind went blank.

It’s over, is he really going to have to donate three million?

Those two women in the livestream were so nasty and scheming, don’t they bear any responsibility?

Why did it turn out to be his buddy who’s at fault?

Zou Ying kept browsing the police report over and over, staring at his phone.

His agent sent several voice messages, furiously scolding: “The only way to salvage this situation is for you to obediently pay the three million and put all the blame on Shi Wenxuan. You’ve been deceived by his facade and are also a victim.”

“This way, you can still keep your job in the entertainment circle. It’s not a complete collapse. You can also build a persona of being someone who keeps their promises and corrects their mistakes. Though it’s humiliating and the internet will make fun of you, once the storm blows over, it won’t matter much.”

Zou Ying indignantly replied, “But not only do I have to pay the money, I also have to kowtow and call the dogs and foxes my ’fathers’!”

“The bet was your own idea, and you have to live with it if you still want to keep making money in the entertainment industry.”

After hearing his agent’s words, Zou Ying gripped his phone tightly, almost passing out from anger.

His daily expenses were already high, with a single luxury t-shirt costing ten thousand. The five million in his account was all his savings, and now he had to donate three million of it to someone he despises. It was more painful than death!

And that Station Chief Xu will waste his three million on saving useless animals, Zou Ying felt extremely frustrated.

Within just two hours of the police report being released, the online public opinion had stirred up aggressively. Zou Ying didn’t dare open any social media.

When Zou Ying was transferring money to the 032 rescue station’s bank account, his hands were trembling, and tears of regret fell onto the screen.

After hesitantly completing the transfer, he took a deep breath, captured a screenshot, and posted on Weibo to clear his name: “Sorry for taking up public resources. I didn’t expect my so-called close buddy to be such a person. I’m also a victim. But a gentleman’s word is his bond, so I’ll pay the price for misjudging someone’s character.”

Zou Ying posted his donation transfer record.

The people involved in the case against Qiao Yuxi have all been brought to justice, and it’s time for Qiao Yuxi to return to Hai City to continue her work at the film company.

While heading to the city in the morning, she saw Zou Ying’s response and coldly smiled, posting several pictures of small animals in the comment section of Zou Ying’s Weibo: “Here’s your ’daddy’!”

“Weren’t you supposed to kowtow and apologize? Here are photos of the fox cubs and my Tuantuan, quickly record a kowtow video.”

Zou Ying was so angry he almost had a heart attack. It took him a long time of psychological preparation before he could bring himself to record an apology kowtow video.

The video spread wildly across the internet, combined with his self-righteous criticism of Xu Ying and Qiao Yuxi from two days ago, creating an intense face-slapping and mocking effect.

After posting the apology video, Zou Ying didn’t dare go online, thinking he could pay to settle the disaster and wait for the storm to pass.

He hid indoors drinking, not daring to go out, but little did he expect a call from his studio’s head at two o’clock in the afternoon would make him feel on edge.

The voice on the other end sounded anxious: “Boss Zou, we’ve been reported for tax evasion, and officials from the tax bureau are here now with conclusive evidence. The fine and overdue fees amount to over two hundred fifty thousand…”

“Your tax evasion scandal is now trending! What are we going to do?”

Zou Ying threw the wine bottle in his hand, which shattered: “I have to pay over two hundred thousand? Who reported me? So many in the entertainment industry do it, and I evade only one million in taxes and have to pay two hundred thousand in fines? This is robbery!”

“Don’t say it like that. The fine is a hundred percent plus the overdue fees of two hundred days…”

The person on the other end knew Zou Ying was bad at math and couldn’t explain it clearly: “Anyway, you should quickly pay the fine.”

Zou Ying panicked, hurriedly asking, “With a good attitude and admitting the mistake, it shouldn’t lead to a total ban, right?”

The studio head on the other end was silent for a moment, “You should check out the special report from Ming Sheng Daily. I think with this storm, you’re not far from leaving the industry, and no variety show or artist will dare collaborate with you.”

Ming Sheng Daily is the top official media, and being criticized by them is as bad as it gets.

Zou Ying was dumbfounded and very resentful: “So many celebrities evade taxes, why am I the one who gets featured in Ming Sheng Daily?”

The mention of this matter made the head furious: “You should ask you and your loyal fans. Your behavior with your fans in Xu Ying’s livestream has been criticized by the official media!”

Zou Ying’s fans mocked Xu Ying, saying someone like Xu Ying doesn’t make as much in a year as Zou Ying pays in taxes, thinking it was a cool statement showing how amazing their idol is, insinuating Xu Ying was useless. This comment has spread widely, causing quite a stir.

Now the joke is that their wealthy idol was committing tax evasion.

While Xu Ying, whom they mocked, is contributing significantly in a remote region for the country.

“Do you know who is backing Xu Ying now? The authorities have stepped in! Not only did they praise Xu Ying’s strong work abilities, but they also commended her for tackling the rat problem and catching the foreign spy group!”

The head sighed deeply, worried about the future. This time they had hit a wall: “Even the usually low-profile military official is praising Xu Ying for her significant contributions!”

Zou Ying was dumbfounded. Wasn’t that animal rescuer so impressive? With such a strong background?

He hurriedly opened Weibo and discovered that Ming Sheng Daily released a special report at noon today, using Xu Ying as a representative, reporting on her glorious deeds of using small animals to eradicate rats and catch spies in remote desert areas.

The next special was “Sharp Sword Drawn: Tackling Tax Evasion in the Entertainment Industry,” with Zou Ying as the example.

The military official also posted the certificate and exquisite medal prepared for Xu Ying, along with a plaque for a fifty-thousand bonus, with the caption: “The fifty-thousand reward for catching a spy is tax-free.”

The comment section buzzed with heated discussions from netizens.

[Truly the military official, such a powerful attack power. It knows no bounds.]

[Usually, bonuses are subject to twenty percent income tax, but adjusted due to policy documents. It seems the spy group caught by Little Xu Station Chief was a big fish, especially granting a tax-free reward.]

[I can’t imagine the threat if this group of spies hadn’t been caught. Salute to Little Xu Station Chief!]

[Little Xu Station Chief made such a significant contribution, yet this so-called idol and fans mocked her for low income. The world is crazy. I think their earnings should be swapped!]

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep