Chapter 117: Nearly Got Screwed to Death!

(Page 1/3)
Perhaps because the case had attracted such intense attention, or because netizens were loudly calling on the authorities, the relevant department finally made a statement on its official Weibo at three in the afternoon.

They said they were treating the matter with utmost seriousness.
They also said they had already received a call from the complainant six days earlier and had been investigating and collecting evidence ever since.
At the end of the post, they added that they had increased manpower to coordinate with the manufacturer and the 4S dealership, and would release findings to the public as soon as results were available.

When people saw that post, netizens went wild.
In theory, once officials step in, a case should be resolved quickly.
Although the automaker and the 4S dealer had made no public comment yet, that did little to stop everyone from lining up snacks and fruit drinks as if settling in for a grand performance.

While the public waited for the show, many celebrities had already watched Chen Qi’s furious video taking on the 4S dealership.
After seeing it, those stars were stunned as well.
Heavens, what astonishment they must have felt!
Like everyone else online, they thought Chen Qi would simply post one Weibo in support. None of them expected him to involve himself directly.
They watched him savage the dealership’s service manager without mercy, and their expressions grew fierce and hard.

He’s gone mad.
They were convinced he truly had gone mad.
If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed anyone could be so determined to destroy himself.
What is he trying to achieve?
Was one Weibo not enough to insult those tycoons to the core?
With this, he may well have offended them to the point of no return.
……

On a rooftop.
Xu Bunian, who was securing a shooting location, and director Zhou Xiao also saw the video.
After watching it, both looked dazed.
They were also shocked by Chen Qi’s unconventional, flashy move.
One post on Weibo was not enough—you say he stepped in himself?
Does he not understand what it means to “lose” yourself?
If he truly provoked those influential people, do you think they wouldn’t ruin his career in a minute?
“Is he really that bored?” Zhou Xiao blurted out at last, after hemming and hawing for a long while, not knowing what else to say.
“……” Xu Bunian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Though he understood Chen Qi to some degree and knew the man always acts on his own principles, he still couldn’t comprehend this.
What exactly is he after?
……

At Xu Man Studio,
Xu Man, who had just seen that clip, covered her mouth in disbelief.
Startled, she sat frozen for quite a while.
Even this move from Chen Qi was beyond her comprehension.
To be honest, even with her current standing in the industry, she wouldn’t dare to touch something like this.
She could swear: if she were in Chen Qi’s position now, the entertainment world would erase her within days.
So she was genuinely shocked.
She had known him well enough; in her eyes, he was not a reckless man at all.
Then what on earth was he doing?
Xu Man looked at him with utter perplexity.
……

A short video.
Zhao Qingqing stared at her phone, her face grave.

(Page 2/3)
The video playing on her phone was indeed Chen Qi’s clip.
After watching it through, Zhao Qingqing closed her eyes in despair, unable to hide her regret.
She felt Chen Qi was still too young.
Youth has the consequence of being so easily impulsive.
I know you felt sympathy for that old man’s plight, but you had already done enough by posting one Weibo to stand by him!
Even though you are not yet famous, you have two seasons of *Not a Long Shot* on your side. Give it two days and it would ferment; official intervention is inevitable. As long as officials step in to mediate, that old man will surely get a satisfactory result.
Why do you need to throw yourself into this as well?
You’re not a reporter, not a lawyer, and not the party involved. Why go through this?
Zhao Qingqing sighed inwardly, strangely saddened.
She felt Chen Qi was truly going to ruin himself this time. With his behavior so flamboyant, how could those powerful people behind the scenes bear it?
……

At a furniture experience studio,
Su Xiaoxiao in a plain dress also saw the video.
It had been sent by one of her best friends.
She had been swamped with work and hadn’t intended to watch it, but she finally gave in when she couldn’t stand her friend’s constant fangirl messages and kept pressing her to open it.
Then she froze.
Her eyes widened in disbelief, as if she nearly thought she had mistaken what she saw.
After a few seconds she came to herself, searched related keywords online, and learned the full story; from netizens’ analyses she understood the interests at stake.
After a silent moment, she played the video one more time.

“I’m not deleting this Weibo, whether this gets solved or not.”
“Call your higher-level management in!”
“From every angle, you have no right to be so arrogant!”
Listening to Chen Qi’s ringing, forceful voice, her expression grew complicated, and a shadow of worry crept into her eyes.

“See how intense it is? Let me tell you—this is Chen Qi. He also made two short dramas called *Not a Long Shot*. You must watch them. I honestly love him to death.”
Her friend sent another love-struck message.
Su Xiaoxiao ignored it. She quickly pulled up Chen Qi’s number, but at the moment she was about to call, she hesitated.
After a while of wavering, she quietly put the phone away.
……

At the 4S dealership,
Chen Qi, too, stared blankly at his phone.
He was stunned.
Not just puzzled—he was truly shaken.
How on earth had this video gotten online?
After he finally regained his senses, he glanced back.
The culprits who had been filming him had the nerve to give him a mocking “cheer.”
Chen Qi: “……”
He really wanted to say, I’ll thank you.
That was dangerous, wasn’t it?
It was terrifying, wasn’t it?
He was lucky he hadn’t unleashed foul language in full force just now—otherwise they might have trapped him.
If it had gone that far, this would have been real trouble.

At that very moment, as dread still lingered, several sales staff rushed over and politely “invited” those customers to leave.
Those people did not want to go, but eventually they could not resist the workers’ cheerful pressure.

(Page 3/3)
“Go for it!” Before leaving, they made sure to cheer for Chen Qi once more.
“……” Chen Qi forced out a weak smile.
Soon only he and the old man remained in the showroom.
Strangely, still no one came to pay them any attention.
Chen Qi was not in a hurry; he waited patiently.
With matters this explosive, the dealership could not drag on indefinitely.

Then, from outside, a sudden commotion rose.
Chen Qi stood and moved to the doorway to look out.
He saw several reporters with microphones and cameramen with cameras.
The dealership staff had blocked them from entering the premises.
Almost at the same time, the old man’s phone rang.
The old man, who had already sensed something was off, checked the number and quickly answered.
After a short while, he came back with a stunned expression, staring at Chen Qi in astonishment.
It had been his son who called.

From his son, he learned Chen Qi’s identity, the current level of public attention, and the pressure and risk now resting on the old man’s shoulders.
To say he was startled is no exaggeration.
He had never imagined this earnest young man was a celebrity, nor that in barely an hour he could turn his faulty-car complaint into a national sensation.

“What happened?” Chen Qi said, puzzled, and had already guessed part of it.
“That…,” said the old man, still in shock, and drew a breath as he was about to speak, when a round-faced salesperson suddenly came briskly toward them.
The old man swallowed back what he had been about to say.
Chen Qi turned to look at the salesperson.
To his surprise, she had not come for him. She had come for the old man.
They wanted to speak to him privately.

“No!” The old man replied without hesitation. “If you have anything to say, say it here. I have entrusted him to handle this matter completely.”
Though the old man was just an ordinary citizen, he had his own judgment and principles.
How could he not see the 4S dealer’s calculation?
How could he possibly abandon Chen Qi, who was helping him, at this moment?
He could not even imagine the awkward position he would have put Chen Qi in by doing so.
How sinister was the dealership’s intent?
He would not allow that.

The round-faced salesperson gave him one glance, then looked at Chen Qi with visible caution. Her lips moved as if to say something, but she said nothing and hurried away.
Chen Qi turned back to the old man.
The old man grinned at him and said, “My son just called. Now I know everything.”
Chen Qi smiled faintly; he was not too surprised by the answer, but he was moved by the old man’s earlier stance.
“Thank you.” The old man’s eyes reddened again.
Chen Qi waved it off, pulled out his phone, and checked the latest outside reports.
Then he saw the message from the authorities.
“Ah…” he finally understood why the dealership had suddenly wanted to speak with the old man privately.
Were they feeling official pressure from this?

Yet just as he thought things would now be resolved smoothly, the next development came out far beyond his expectations.
About ten minutes later, the automaker and the 4S dealership issued a joint statement to the public.
They said they would hold a press conference at the dealership one hour later, and in a live stream they would publicly explain the entire sequence of events and the solution to people across the country.