Chapter 59
At 8 pm, it was the peak time for internet usage. People were binge watching shows, catching up on gossip, scrolling through videos, and playing
games.
They had expected it to be just another ordinary night, but suddenly, a flood of dirt on Howard appeared on their phones.
Howard had never been short of scandals over the years, but his company had always quickly debunked them, sending cease and desist letters and even winning lawsuits against those media outlets.
Initially, Howard’s fans didn’t pay much attention to the headlines, thinking it was just rivals taking advantage of Howard’s injury to smear him. The fans were furious and started defending him without even reading the content.
[Let’s see who’s so mean, trying to bash Howard while he’s in the hospital]
[You guys just can’t stop spreading rumors about Howard, can you? Poor Howard. He’s already in the hospital, and people are still trying to capitalize on his misfortune.]
[Fucking you, who dares to capitalize on Howard’s popularity? Do you really think we’re losers? Howard, don’t worry. We’ll always believe in you!
Seeing the fans‘ blind defense, netizens couldn’t help but laugh.
[These fans are really something. They treat Howard like a treasure, but Howard just sees them as cash cows and idiots.]
[Holy shit, even with all this, these fans are still defending Howard. They must be really brainless.]
[It’s normal for fans to behave this way. They were all over Howard just a while ago, and now he’s suddenly in the eye of the storm.]
[I was actually planning to watch his show. When I saw the gossip, I rushed over. It’s fun to discuss, so keep it coming.]
The fans who had instinctively defended Howard were taken aback. ‘What’s going on?‘ they thought. What they didn’t expect was that in the fan group chat, several prominent fan leaders suddenly quit the group.
The discussion in the fan group began.
[What’s happening? Why are they quitting? What’s wrong with Howard?]
Another fan explained: [Haven’t you seen those leaks? To be honest, I’ve been a fan of Howard since his debut. It’s been five years. I never thought that in his eyes, we’re just a bunch of brainless fools and idiots.]
[I’m quitting the group first, guys. This person is not worth my idol worship. I’m done with being a fan from now on.] The prominent fan posted before leaving the group.
Other fans were bewildered. With several major fans quitting one after another, the younger fans were left in a panic, like sheep without a shepherd.
Unlike previous scandals, this time the leaks about Howard came with pictures, evidence, and even audio and video recordings. These were all found by Sophia in Howard’s phone and laptop.
Howard had cursed at everyone in the industry, no matter their status. He had even belittled many senior celebrities who had won prestigious awards. Since his debut, Howard had sailed through smoothly, thanks to his good looks and wealthy background. He had never faced any setbacks and had become increasingly arrogant and dismissive of everyone in the entertainment industry. He cursed and belittled people at will.
Once these things were exposed, the fans of those senior celebrities were furious. Howard had single–handedly offended the entire entertainment industry. A fan war was imminent.
Although Howard had a large fan base, the entertainment industry was filled with so many celebrities, which meant a powerful fan network. There was
another reason as well.
1/3
Chapter 59.
Howard was often seen at the Golden Bell Club, passionately kissing strange women in the hallways and even making lewd moves.
He also frequently threw away gifts from his fans, saying, “These fans are so annoying. They always send useless stuff. Just throw them away. They is not practical and take up space.”
“These fans are so stupid. All I have to do is post a tweet and play the victim, and they’ll fight for me. It’s ridiculous how dumb they are. A bunch of
idiots.”
“Just you wait. Trying to compete with me for endorsements? Even if I agree, my fans won’t. They’ll never let it happen.”
“Does the product quality matter? Not really. I don’t use them anyway. As long as the endorsement fee is high enough, I’ll take it. No matter what I endorse, those fools will buy it. Sales are never a problem.”
The fans were completely shattered. They were crying and demanding that Howard come out to explain and give them some kind of answer.
Alfred had just gotten home when he received a call from the company’s top brass. He was berated from the get–go. “Alfred, how on earth are you handling this as Howard’s agent?
“Did you know Howard was about to crash and burn, and that’s why you wanted to pass
him off to someone else?”
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Do you even want to keep your job? If you can’t handle this situation, you can just pack up and leave,” the voice on the other end fumed and roared.
Alfred hadn’t been online and had no idea what had happened. He initially thought it might be Howard privately tweeting some sob story, but as he listened, he realized something was seriously wrong.
After hanging up, Alfred checked his phone, and he nearly fainted from the shock, Although he had said he wouldn’t manage Howard anymore, they had spent so many years together, and Alfred still hoped for a peaceful parting.
But this time, the online backlash was overwhelming, and Alfred hadn’t received any warning. He quickly called Xavier while rushing to the company.
In the hospital room, Xavier stood there with a huge bump on his forehead, courtesy of Howard’s assault.
Howard’s face was twisted with rage, his veins bulging, his eyes bloodshot with fury and madness. He looked like a cornered beast, roaring in impotent fury. “You’re all useless pieces of trash. Trash,” he screamed.
Howard smashed everything within reach in the room. Xavier had wanted to clean up, but he didn’t dare, fearing another attack.
Xavier kept silent. Howard’s anger had nowhere to go but to lash out at him. “And you, are you laughing at me in your head? Did you know about this? Did you and Alfred conspire to deceive me? You’re both liars. Trash.”
Howard roared and bellowed, not knowing who was out to get him. But he wasn’t going to sit back and take it. If he was going down, he was taking someone with him. “Right now, post that video I recorded on Twitter.”
Xavier was terrified and at a loss. His hand trembled as he opened his phone, and then his eyes widened in horror. “M–Mr. Chandler, the video is gone. I can’t find it.”
Howard tried to get out of bed, but Xavier instinctively tried to stop him and was rough
pushed away. “Get out of my way.”
Xavier didn’t mind being pushed, but Howard’s leg was fractured, and the other one wasn’t much better. He lost his balance and fell forward.
Before Xavier could react, Howard crashed to the ground and couldn’t get back up.
Howard lay on the floor, pounding the ground with his fists, his eyes bloodshot with rage and frustratio
“Die. All of you just die.”
Xavier was on the verge of tears. He tried calling Alfred but couldn’t get through, so he called the Chandler family instead.
14:40 FT, 30 May
Chapter 59
Sophia woke up naturally and checked her phone first thing. Seeing the news of Howard’s downfall, she felt extremely pleased.
As she was heading downstairs, she heard the hospital. I saw a poor lady there.
Vette’s voice, and her mood soured instantly. “Mom, last night my friend got food poisoning, and I took her to
“Someone hit her grandson’s head, and they don’t have any money. I want to go back today and bring them some food.”
Sophia’s steps faltered, and her face darkened. From the description, it was clearly Mira
and Yandel.
I accidentally prevented Yvette from meeting Yandel, but the plot has pulled them back together. Yvette still ended up meeting Yandel. I saved them, but Yvette is reaping the rewards. Damn it. So frustrating. No way, Sophia thought to herself.
AD
