Rebirth of a Rose

74. Regret and Redemption

"You...... Did what?" Daniel yelled...... He later sighed, "You....... Go on... I want you to tell me everything, leave nothing out."

Liang continued, "On my eighteenth birthday, my father called me and said that it was done. It was my birthday gift, the worst gift of my life. I kept my promise to dad and returned to China to live with him. I joined the same entertainment company as Dong Fu's called RGT Entertainment. It wasn't difficult with dad's help and backing. I was happy knowing that Dong Fu had returned alone."

"You are a jerk..." Daniel scoffed.

Liang frowned, "You said you wouldn't judge me... Anyway, two months later, Sam was back working at the company. However, he was always alone, furious and moody, nothing like I had heard about him. I was new and no one told me anything. Dong Fu never showed up at the company either, that got me really worried. Later, I read in the newspapers and magazines stating that he had retired from the industry. He announced it in the first show of Silver Rose's spring collection in London. But he also promised that he would continue to ramp walk for SR."

"I had never heard of the clothing brand named SR, but Dong Fu's retirement and statement brought a lot of attention to it. I didn't know what went wrong or why he suddenly retired. I asked my father and he didn't know either."

"Many gossips were going around. I tried to find out the truth, but being a newbie I could get nowhere. I worked hard and started increasing my contacts in the company. Everyone spoke about his retirement, but nobody knew the reason. Sam didn't know either, it was a sudden decision."

"I became friends with the CEO'S secretary. She had a crush on me and told me everything. The company forced Dong Fu to terminate his contract. The company received some anonymous photos of Dong Fu with his ex-boyfriend. Many in the industry knew about his sexual preference and it had never been a problem. Every artist some time in life would get involved in a scandal. It was nothing new in the industry. That's why the agents are there, to help the artists."

"But the company suddenly wanted him gone. They said that the threat was external and the only choice was for him to retire on his own accord. However, the real situation was different. The threat was against the CEO. Someone had blackmailed him with some illegal things he did. The only way for the CEO to save his ass was to make Dong Fu retire from the company and leave the industry."

"Dong Fu denied the company's request. Because he didn't agree, they dug out some past deeds related to Sam. In the early days, Sam used to sell drugs. That was the main reason why he joined the entertainment industry, for ready customers. However, he left that life far behind after he was assigned as Dong Fu's assistant. He changed completely because of the other. I guess that's why they were always so close. If Dong Fu didn't do exactly what the company said, Sam would have ended up in the prison."

Daniel asked, "Is that the reason why Silver and Sam never knew anything about his retirement?"

Liang nodded, "It was...."

Daniel frowned, "He could have filed a lawsuit against the company. Why did he remain silent about it? He could have joined another company and make a comeback."

Liang replied, "He couldn't... He didn't have a backer. The entertainment industry is very dark and dirty. You can't survive just with talent. You need a powerful backer. After he was forced to resign, someone spread the rumors about him being gay. Everyone started talking shit about him. Calling him names.... If I ever heard someone speak badly about others, it was then. I felt so guilty about everything. I had spoiled a man's career. I searched for him, called his home, but he wasn't there. So I went to Paris, he wasn't there either. I found his ex-boyfriend and he didn't seem to be upset about anything."