She thought that the superstar had fallen sick and was taking this chance to rest. By the looks of it, the reality might not be that simple!

Has he truly been blacklisted? Really?

She knew, deep down, that this was no hoax, for the news had come from her manager. There was no need for him to lie to her about such things, after all.

Still…

Why was the superstar blacklisted?

She gave her agent a perplexed look which spelled her disbelief and confusion.

"Why was he blacklisted?"

The man did not know what to say.

Tensing the corner of her lips, she probed cautiously. "Is something going on that is unconfirmed, or… has he offended a bigshot, who caused him to be blacklisted?"

"Let me ask you: Do you know Gu Xingze's identity?"

His sudden question caught her off guard.

Bewildered, she shook her head.

"Then, do you know that there's a Gu family in the capital?"

Her eyes lit up with a start, and she turned speechless.

The Gu family in the capital?

She had come across hearsays about that family, but her knowledge about them was superficial at best.

The Gus here started out as a mafia ring. Subsequently, they managed to turn over a new leaf and established a proper corporation in the commercial arena. Now, their power extended to the high society and the underworld. Although they could not match the Mus, their influence in the criminal world could be said to be on par with the latter.

Within the capital, the Gus were the most powerful next to the Mus.

All the underground casinos and gambling dens in the capital were controlled by that mafia family.

In a village within the capital at East Street, they had amassed a large gang.

There was a Chinese saying that highlighted the ills of offending a mobster compared to a gentleman.

The Gus might not be thugs, but whoever offended them would definitely get a taste of their cruelty!

There was a story in the past.

The son of a high-ranking, office-bearer in the capital had lost a big loan in a casino at East Street. The man refused to pay it off and, instead, boasted about his father's power to the gangsters who had come looking for him. 'My father is Dai Jianqing! There's nobody in the capital who doesn't know him, so how dare you chase me for money still?! All of you are small fries who know no better! Beware: My father may just destroy what you have at East Street if I make a complaint!"

The thugs merely laughed it off and forcefully took the arrogant man away in their car.

What had happened next terrified those who heard the story later.

According to rumors, the fellow continued his high-and-mighty attitude after being taken away. Besides attacking his abductors with supercilious words, he even boasted that he could wipe out the Gu family.

Both his hands and one leg were chopped off without mercy.

They kept him locked and tortured for half a month before releasing him. By then, the man had turned crazy and his family had to send him to a mental asylum for treatment.

This frightening incident had alerted even the high-level bureaucrats, but none dared to say a word when they found out that the perpetrators were people of the Gu family.

When Dai Jianqing saw his son again, the latter had already lost his mind and was without three of his limbs. During one of his visits, his son let out a howl and begged for mercy, 'Don't kill me! Don't kill me! Please let me go—'