Chapter 233: Who Apologizes

Chapter 233 Who Should Apologize

Sigh—

Meng Fan swept his gaze over the crowd, realizing that talking to them was futile, and he couldn't be bothered to say another word.

He walked over and helped the girl who had been beaten, now sitting on the ground and no longer shielding her head, to her feet. "Are you alright? Check yourself to see if you're hurt anywhere. Do you want him to apologize?"

"No, no, I'm fine."

The girl looked up, a clear slap mark visible on her face and footprints on her clothes. But upon hearing Meng Fan's words, she shook her head repeatedly and scrambled backward, avoiding his touch. In her eyes, Meng Fan seemed even more terrifying than the two bodyguards, as if he were there to harm her rather than help.

"I'm not hurt, I'm not hurt at all."

Whether it was because she felt the glares from the fans nearby, the girl immediately added, "No apology, don't! It was my fault, I shouldn't have grabbed Park Jae-hae. I didn't follow the rules, I deserved it!"

Meng Fan felt a chill, and a deep sense of sorrow.

He considered himself part of the fan culture; he understood the unwritten rules of the fandom and knew exactly what the girl was afraid of. Though he longed to slap some sense into her, he decided against it—to say more would only cause her further harm.

Meng Fan ignored her, didn't spare another glance at Park Jae-hae or the others, and headed straight into the studio.

"Don't you walk away! You hit someone, don't you dare leave! We need an explanation!"

Standing with the manager was someone who appeared to be an assistant. Their Mandarin was much better; they ran over, but seeing Meng Fan stop, they didn't dare approach further. They wanted to block his path, but lacked the courage.

"What kind of explanation do you want? I'll be waiting inside!"

Meng Fan walked into the studio with a cold face and found a chair in the lobby to sit on.

As for Bai Zhi and Su Qingcen, who were inside, Meng Fan didn't want to disturb them right now. After sitting down, he sent a WeChat message to Bai Zhi: "I'm in the lobby, dealing with something. Don't get involved."

Meng Fan had no regrets about what he had done. Even if he had known beforehand that no one would be grateful, he still would have acted the same way. It was a matter of his own conscience, regardless of whether others thanked him or not. Even before his rebirth, Meng Fan could never have just looked the other way, though back then he might have lacked the strength to act as decisively as he did now.

As for the aftermath, Meng Fan wasn't worried.

"Meng Fan."

Sister Sun walked over and pulled Meng Fan toward the inner rooms.

Meng Fan said, "Sister Sun, I’d better not go in, so as not to drag Sister Bai and Brother Shan Jin into this. I’m not a public figure, so it doesn't matter how much of a scene I make."

"What scene?" Sister Sun chuckled. "They both want you to come in. We have experience handling these things. The situation is clear; no one can touch you, let alone implicate them."

"Alright then." Meng Fan followed her inside, then paused. "Sister Sun, that fan who was beaten... I'm a bit worried about her..."

"No need to worry, I've already arranged for someone to keep an eye on her."

Sister Sun led Meng Fan to the room where Bai Zhi and Su Qingcen were, then left.

"Boss Meng, you're a hero!"

"I used to wonder how you could be so different from your sister's personality, but it seems I was wrong!"

Bai Zhi and Su Qingcen had already heard the details from Sister Sun. As soon as Meng Fan entered, they began teasing him, their words filled with genuine admiration.

Meng Fan felt a bit embarrassed: "I couldn't just stand by and watch."

Su Qingcen agreed wholeheartedly, waving her fist: "Well said! If I were there, I would've smashed his dog head in!"

Bai Zhi sighed with regret: "I wish there was a video of it; I really want to see how you fought. Sister Sun said you knocked those two bodyguards over in one go and hauled that Korean star around like a little chick."

She couldn't help but reach out and squeeze Meng Fan's arm, smiling, "You really are strong."

Meng Fan was speechless, but their words helped him relax. "I was planning to sit there and see what they wanted to do, but you two calling me in has thrown off my train of thought."

"What do they want!"

Bai Zhi's expression darkened. "If that kid comes over and apologizes to you properly—a public apology—then we can let it go. Otherwise... let alone having a hard time in China, he won't even have a good life after he goes back home!"

"Exactly, it's 2019, he shouldn't be allowed to get away with this!"

Su Qingcen agreed completely. They were both furious upon hearing about the Korean star hitting a fan. If it were elsewhere or at another time, they might have just condemned it, but this involved Meng Fan. Setting aside Meng Fan's relationship with Meng Caiwei, the fact that he was here because of them meant they couldn't just ignore it!

"Don't worry, we've already set things in motion!"

"Come, let's discuss the MV shooting plan while we wait!"

...

Park Jae-hae and his group had also entered the studio, retreating to another room, waiting in a huff.

Soon, someone arrived.

It was the head of the domestic agency responsible for coordinating his activities. They had told Park Jae-hae to come here for posters and to rehearse for the concert.

"Mr. Jiang, you must have heard about what happened. Tell me, how are you going to handle this? Park Jae-hae was invited here by you, and you must give us an explanation!" The manager's tone had shifted from the panic he showed before Meng Fan to one of arrogance.

Jiang Cheng cursed the idiot under his breath, but kept a stern face. "We have indeed heard about the incident, and we have already contacted the person involved. We will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation. However, there are some things I need to confirm to facilitate our response."

He paused and asked, "First, did Mr. Park Jae-hae truly hit that female fan?"

The manager shook his head decisively: "Absolutely not!"

Jiang Cheng frowned. "Please, be honest! The slap mark on that fan's face is very clear, and there were so many people present. If our public statement doesn't match the reality, it will be bad for both of us!"

The manager replied firmly again: "Don't worry, the fans present are being managed by our people. There will be no negative information unfavorable to Park Jae-hae."

"I see..." Jiang Cheng hesitated, then asked the second question: "Then what kind of explanation do you want?"

"An apology and compensation!"

Park Jae-hae shouted: "He must apologize, apologize until I am satisfied! And compensation for emotional distress and medical expenses—one million... no, five million Chinese Yuan!"

Jiang Cheng cursed again in his heart, then said, "Alright, I know your demands. I will go and speak with them."

Not long after Jiang Cheng left, he returned and said, "They don't agree. Instead, they demand an apology from you. If you refuse, they will call the police and publicly disclose exactly what happened today."

"Are they crazy? Call the police? Even if they do, we'll be the ones calling the police!" the manager roared. "Disclose it? How? They have no evidence that Park Jae-hae hit anyone!"

Jiang Cheng said, "What if they do?"

"Impossible!"

"So, you are certain you won't apologize?"

"Of course! Mr. Jiang, we are the ones demanding an apology, how did it turn into them demanding one from us? Whose side are you on?"

"Yours! Sigh, fine, I'll go negotiate with them again!"

Jiang Cheng went out again, but this time, he did not return.