After Xiang Luan finished speaking, the faces of many people in the venue turned pale and uncertain.

At any other company, this would be considered a serious disciplinary incident for an artist. Someone, feeling as if a sore spot had been brutally jabbed, stood up angrily when they saw Xiang Luan’s manager rise and walk over. “Your company must—”

The manager turned his head at the sound, looking at the man with a puzzled expression.

The man froze, suddenly snapping back to reality and remembering that this was no longer the Luo family’s or Jian Huaiyi’s company.

In fact, it had never truly belonged to them in the first place.

Huaisheng Entertainment was now completely independent. From the inside out, it belonged to the young man they were currently discussing, the one they had smeared and slandered in the past, and the one about whom they no longer had any standing or right to speak, no matter what happened in the future.

The manager turned back around, led a few rounds of applause for the artist who had just spoken, and then grabbed Xiang Luan by the collar, pulling him back to his seat.

Xiang Luan had taken note of many reporters and paid smear accounts but hadn’t finished his list. He was forced back into his chair with a stiff neck, then took out his notebook to talk to his manager.

The manager took it, read a few pages, nodded, and then gave Xiang Luan a sharp rap on the head. He took the notebook and handed it to Fang Hang.

The press conference continued as usual.

Having now thoroughly understood Huaisheng Entertainment’s attitude, no one dared to make any more malicious remarks until the very end.

…

Huaisheng Entertainment had not specifically screened the reporters. Many of them had either taken money, had a conflict of interest, or had simply jumped on the bandwagon to slander Luo Zhi in the past. Anxious due to the recent series of events, they had slipped into the press conference to gauge the situation.

These people had various ulterior motives, and many were already starting to fear for themselves. Spurred by such a press conference, it wasn’t impossible that they would resort to desperate measures.

On the final surveillance feed, someone was already seen hastily making a call while walking out, urgently giving instructions.

Ming Lu stood at the door with his arms crossed, watching Fang Hang pace back and forth with his own phone, talking excitedly. He smiled and chose not to interfere.

He had originally been prepared to have someone else take over, but these young people at Huaisheng Entertainment seemed to have suddenly come back to life.

Of course, Fang Hang hadn’t come up with this idea on his own and gathered the courage to ask about it.

They had been discussing it privately for many days.

During sleepless nights, on short breaks from work, under the streetlights on the way home, at the roadside stall they used to frequent… and in Luo Zhi’s office.

That office was still kept as it was. It was now their regular place to relax, rest, and hold meetings.

They met there, analyzing details and gathering clues bit by bit. They approached the possibility with trepidation, yet didn’t dare to touch upon it directly.

Fang Hang could only try his best to control the volume of his voice. He couldn’t control his smile at all. While silently and repeatedly apologizing to Ming Lu, whom he was disturbing, he whispered rapidly into the phone in a code only their own people could understand, the smiles bubbling up endlessly.

They were all subordinates trained by Luo Zhi, so they were naturally very discreet. After learning the answer, they didn’t ask another question or probe any further. To be honest, if they had known about this before the surgery, none of them would have been able to sleep a wink during those days.

Every night, they went through those posts again and again, looking for any clues they could deduce.

The posts mentioned that the “big brother” was very nice and played with the children, which meant Young CEO Luo’s emotional state was better than they had imagined.

The posts mentioned that the “big brother’s” family was very attentive, which meant someone was taking good care of Young CEO Luo.

The posts mentioned the “big brother” was in rehabilitation. Although his condition was more serious than the child’s, he was working very hard and had even encouraged the child…

Fang Hang kept whispering with several others, looked at Ming Lu hesitantly, clenched his fists tightly, and then tentatively began, “I—we wanted to ask—”

Ming Lu didn’t actually mind saying more, but before he could speak, Fang Hang immediately changed his mind. “No, we’ll ask, and if you don’t say anything, we’ll take it as a yes.”

Fang Hang took a deep breath and asked quickly, “Is Young CEO Luo’s hearing better?”

Ming Lu smiled.

Fang Hang immediately clutched his phone. “Yes, yes, he can hear!”

A cheer must have erupted on the other end. It was so noisy that he had to listen hard to the chatter for a while before speaking again, his voice even more cautious. “Can he walk—can he walk far? Will he not have trouble walking anymore?”

After asking, Fang Hang stared intently at Ming Lu. Seeing that he remained silent, he quickly relayed the message, “Yes, yes, he can! No problem!”

The noise from the phone was so loud he had to move it away from his ear. Fang Hang swallowed and, gathering his courage, asked, “Is his mood also…” He got his answer halfway through the question, his smile nearly reaching the sky. He yelled into the phone in a hushed voice, “I told you! No problem! Who are we talking about?! It’s our Young CEO Luo! He can be happy wherever he goes!”

The group of young people was so happy they probably didn’t know what to do with themselves.

Fang Hang paced around the room with his phone, his smile never leaving his face, yet he asked very few questions. They were all just about Luo Zhi’s physical condition and mood.

“Nothing else matters,” Fang Hang repeated constantly. “It’s fine, nothing else is a problem. He can live however he wants. If he doesn’t want to come back, he never has to.”

Fang Hang grinned. “When he’s fully recovered and can make new friends, we’ll book tickets for a team-building cruise and pretend to be new friends to meet him all over again…”

“That probably won’t work,” Ming Lu reminded him. “You have group photos and videos.”

“Oh no.” Fang Hang suddenly remembered a crucial point and grabbed the phone. “Quick, quick, destroy the evidence.”

The other end of the line erupted in laughter and chaos, with everyone pushing the task of deleting and editing onto someone else. In the end, they threw the blame back onto Fang Hang, since he was the one who always had to carry a camera everywhere.

Fang Hang contentedly took all the blame, then quickly settled on a plan with the others for handling the aftermath of the press conference. They made plans to go for drinks when they got back, and he hung up.

…

Of course, they weren’t really going to destroy any evidence.

They cherished those videos and photos. It didn’t matter if he didn’t remember them at all—even if Young CEO Luo had no impression of them, just being able to greet him as old friends would be enough to make them ecstatic.

But more than these trivial details, which didn’t matter even if they were gone, they desperately wanted Young CEO Luo to be well, to be healthy and happy again.

Even the title “Young CEO Luo” was best discarded. They had changed to it because they disliked calling him CEO Luo.

Now that the family had gone so far as to get a death certificate, the name “Luo Zhi” and everything it represented was officially over. He should have a completely new identity.

Fang Hang did his best to explain these thoughts to Ming Lu, repeatedly emphasizing that this was by no means an attempt to interfere.

Anything was fine, everything was fine, as long as their old friend could be comfortable and happy.

Ming Lu looked at him and smiled. “Wait a little longer.”

“There was a letter I was supposed to bring you,” Ming Lu said. “It’s not needed now. Perhaps there will be a chance—” Ming Lu remembered something and suddenly asked Fang Hang, “How is your son’s speech coming along?”

Fang Hang froze for less than half a second before reacting instantly. “I’m teaching him to say ‘Little Uncle’ every day, trying to get him to learn it before ‘Dad’.”

Ming Lu nodded, relaying a message for the Ming family’s young master, who was very keen on this matter. “He needs to call him that when the time comes.”

Fang Hang’s eyes lit up, and he nodded without hesitation. “No problem!”

Ming Lu didn’t elaborate on the letter, nor did he say anything else.

These young people were genuinely happy about this, so the letter, which had been entrusted to Xun Zhen just in case, was completely unnecessary and didn’t need to be mentioned.

On this trip with his master, Ming Lu had already arranged with Ming Chi to let him slowly explore the past he didn’t want to lose while at home.

This kind of exploration and actual memory were different. For someone who has lost their memories, they are like a movie, a story, a book. Although you know the protagonist is you, you no longer have the immersive feeling of reality.

But Ming Chi would still read the letters he left for himself.

In the letters, he wrote that he must remember every friend at Huaisheng, reminding himself to look at the photos and videos on the official social media account, and that once his body was fully recovered, he should invite them to be guests on the cruise.

“Please let us handle those marketing accounts and paid trolls,” Fang Hang said, clenching his fists again and composing himself. “We will resolve this ourselves.”

Fang Hang promised earnestly, “By the time he wants to come back for a visit, everything will be clean.”

The people at Huaisheng Entertainment were better at these things anyway. Ming Lu didn’t insist, just nodding. “Alright.”

Public opinion isn’t like business. In business, when you’re big enough, you can sort things out with the simplest and most direct methods. But public opinion requires more professional means and strategies.

This was the person and the place that Luo Zhi had tried so hard to protect, and now they were turning around to protect that young man. The Ming family would not interfere with what they were determined to do.

…For the past few days, these young people at Huaisheng Entertainment had already been working incredibly hard and with great drive. Everyone was holding in their breath, striving to climb higher, to reach a better place.

Now, these young people were still working just as hard and with just as much drive, but they seemed to be completely alive again.

Fang Hang said goodbye to Ming Lu, thanked him repeatedly, and left with a light step, practically floating.

Ming Lu, carrying the materials Fang Hang had brought, knocked on the door of Ming Weiting’s lounge.

…

Ming Weiting had just finished an interview with a print media outlet and was looking at his phone.

Ming Lu closed the door. “Sir, how is it?”

“Nothing much. The safety of cruise travel and the routine risks of sea voyages.”

Ming Weiting didn’t need special preparation to answer such questions. He put down his phone and raised his eyes. “Uncle Lu.”

Ming Lu knew what he was going to ask and nodded. “I’ve already had people look into it. The young master’s former team will handle the public opinion part. We’ll take care of the hidden reefs.”

Li Weiming was just a pawn. That pawn, driven by his own greed, had committed such an ungrateful act. The evidence of slander and fraud was solid, and he had already paid the price.

But many of the people who used this pawn to unscrupulously target Luo Zhi were hidden beneath the surface.

Among them were industry rivals, business competitors, and enemies of the Luo family… Luo Zhi had never received any benefit from his family background; instead, he was dragged down by them, becoming a target for too many people.

These matters shouldn’t be left for Huaisheng Entertainment to handle. They would take care of it.

“By the way, Sir,” Ming Lu said, reminded of the Luo family, “their situation has also changed a bit.”

The Luo family’s tree had fallen and the monkeys had scattered. Their former glory had long since vanished, which was a given. But during this time, they had been focused on nursing Ming Chi back to health, and the period before and after the surgery was the most critical, so they hadn’t really had the time or energy to deal with that family.

The family had turned on itself, fighting internally.

When Xun Zhen had told Mother Luo that Jian Huaiyi was no longer taking care of her, she had believed it and exposed a great deal of Jian Huaiyi’s illegal activities. In return, Jian Huaiyi had ruthlessly bitten back at the Luo family, solidifying the evidence of intentional injury against the head of the Luo family.

Luo Chengxiu, who could only be cared for by nurses after several heart surgeries, was thus able to get medical parole. But for this proud patriarch, the matter itself was another unbearable blow.

Luo Jun was the first in the family to wake up. From the day Ming Lu invited Luo Chengxiu to have tea on the ship and his father handed him over to be dealt with, Luo Jun knew the Luo family had no future, so he wasn’t surprised when it came to this.

He came back to deal with the family’s mess, only to find when he tried to sell off the assets that they had already been listed and devoured by other circling companies and conglomerates at ridiculously low prices.

Luo Jun went to the hospital to inquire and learned that Luo Chengxiu didn’t trust him at all, even fearing that he would seek revenge for the incident on the ship. He had entrusted all the family assets to an agent.

The most ironic part was that even the money from this low-priced sale didn’t end up in anyone’s hands.

Too many people were eyeing it. Luo Chengxiu trusted no one, but he failed to notice that those agents were colluding with Jian Huaiyi. But with Jian Huaiyi in prison, those agents were also implicated and are now under investigation for suspected financial crimes.

The money was thus frozen in the accounts, and more than one person was hospitalized again because of it.

Ming Lu recounted the whole story and summed it up simply, “A complete mess.”

This was the family’s nature; it wasn’t surprising they would do such things. Ming Weiting wasn’t paying close attention, just nodding before picking up his phone again.

Ming Lu had no interest in discussing it further either. He noticed Ming Weiting was looking at Huaisheng Entertainment’s official social media and smiled, changing the subject back. “Learning how to be a fan again, Sir?”

Ming Weiting nodded, then shook his head. “Not entirely.”

He said, “I’m also learning how to be a friend.”

Ming Lu was a little curious. “You’re already at the point of holding him while watching fireworks, and you’re still learning to be a friend?”

Ming Weiting seemed to like this. He never got flustered when Ming Lu brought it up. He smiled softly and said again, “I have to learn it all.”

He wanted to be Ming Chi’s fan, friend, and family, and he very much hoped that one day in the future, he could formally have a closer connection with him.

They were already Ming Chi’s family; they had a head start on that front, which was a bit of a cheat.

The followers and comments on Huaisheng Entertainment’s official account were growing, and the number of fans who liked their general manager was also increasing. His progress on that front was actually falling behind.

“I’m falling behind on being a friend, too,” Ming Weiting said, looking up at Ming Lu. “He has so many friends.”

Ming Lu laughed, half-joking on purpose, “Then should we steal the young master away?”

Ming Weiting shook his head. He opened the latest video again, set it to full screen, and showed it to Uncle Lu.

He had never thought of stealing Ming Chi away.

That ball of fire should have friends, even more than he had now. When Luo Zhi was still at the company, the people at Huaisheng Entertainment, due to their work and positions, might not have immediately recognized their status as friends… but now, they must have realized it.

Ming Weiting asked Ming Lu, “Uncle Lu, do they know?”

“A few of them have guessed part of it,” Ming Lu said. “They will definitely handle it well.”

Ming Weiting nodded.

This wasn’t surprising. Xun Zhen had actually asked him if he wanted to keep it completely secret and have the surgery done for Ming Chi in isolation, but he had disagreed.

He wasn’t trying to protect that ball of fire in a vacuum.

Many people must have already discovered that they were friends with that ball of fire.

The video playing on the phone was a kind of blessing video, released by Huaisheng Entertainment to coincide with the press conference. It had been produced a few days prior and had no definitive ending.

The content was simple, just a blackboard. Any fan of a Huaisheng Entertainment artist was familiar with this blackboard, as there were few companies that still required their artists to attend training classes and copy notes from it.

Xiang Luan had never been so serious even in school and had famously cried in frustration from not being able to finish copying notes, a glorious tale often retold among long-time fans.

The video began with him.

Xiang Luan jumped onto a chair, grabbed a piece of chalk, and pressed it against the blackboard, forcefully drawing a stick figure.

Everyone drew a stick figure on the blackboard with chalk.

Even with stick figures, there were different drawing skills and styles, but after watching a few frames, you could see it was a very simple stop-motion animation—the stick figure was running forward.

The background started to get more complex, with white chalk lines drawn on the black board. The stick figure jumped over obstacles, swung a stick to fend off an attacking dog, did a front flip over an oncoming subway train, and leaped up against the cold night wind onto a cluster of buildings of varying heights, jumping among the stars.

No one knew Luo Zhi’s whereabouts when this video was made.

Some still firmly believed Young CEO Luo was just missing, that he must have drifted to that deserted island. Some tried to accept the other outcome but still dreamed of the person who sat on the ship’s railing, dangling his legs and laughing.

So they did everything they could to draw that picture, making the stick figure in it super cool and invincible. Each of them drew a frame of their wishes, and then they connected all those wishes together.

…

And so the stick figure ran forward continuously.

Running forward, and then continuing to run, until it reached a place where nothing could stop it.

The background music was the guitar piece from Luo Zhi’s first competition. The tune shifted from lively to passionate, and that scorching heat that made one breathless pushed the stick figure forward all the way.

Then they took all the most vibrant and brilliant colors they could find and threw them onto that blackboard.

The super cool, invincible stick figure leaped out, bursting from the confines of the blackboard.

…

This was a blessing video. The comments section had many hashtags like #WaitingForYoungCEOLuoToReturn and #YoungCEOLuosNewDebut, so although the friends’ replies were subtle, they weren’t hard to spot.

The managers at Huaisheng Entertainment held another meeting, very carefully and cautiously hiding their words in the comments: “Be happy.”

“Be happy.”

“Go find your freedom.”