TCFGBH Chapter 30

The corridor was paved with warm, light-yellow tiles, and the voice-activated lights flickered on and off overhead.

The surroundings fell into darkness, and with the loss of sight, the sounds in the emergency exit became more pronounced. Many horror movies flashed through Xia Yan’s mind, but if he left without uncovering the truth, he would definitely lose sleep over it tonight.

However, judging by Zhao Wenxiu’s demeanor… it shouldn’t be dangerous, right?

Forget it, let’s go for it.

The young man pressed his fingers against the sliding cover of the password lock and forcefully pushed it downward, producing a crisp sound as the metal cover collided.

The light above responded by turning on, bathing the two of them in white light.

Xia Yan quickly walked to the emergency exit door and pushed it open with force. The door swung open, revealing a simple, gray road.

“Yan Yan.”

“Cough, cough…ugh…”

In Xia Yan’s line of sight, he saw Tu Xi with a smile on his lips, his expression gentle, and his hands hanging naturally. If it weren’t for the few creases on his shirt, he would have looked as clean and elegant as if he were walking the red carpet.

In comparison, Fang Xihua looked much worse.

He was wearing an inconspicuous black suit, his mask halfway down stuck at his chin, and he was sprawled on the ground, coughing uncontrollably.

Xia Yan: “???”

What’s going on? This shocked him to his core!

He blurted out, “Why are the two of you at my door?”

“The situation online has blown up so much, as your boyfriend, I wanted to check on you.” Tu Xi looked innocent as he casually walked to Xia Yan’s side, subtly placing himself between him and the other man.

He wrapped one arm around Xia Yan’s waist from behind, resting his head on Xia Yan’s neck, a gesture full of intimate ambiguity.

After spending time together, Xia Yan had already grown accustomed to Tu Xi’s touch. After a brief moment of stiffness, he quickly returned to his natural state.

This was all just a reflex reaction from his body.

Even his brain hadn’t issued any resistance orders.

Xia Yan looked at Fang Xihua. “And what’s his deal? What were you two doing just now?”

“We were—”

“Xia Yan!!!”

Before Tu Xi could finish, Fang Xihua suddenly shouted Xia Yan’s name. His voice was filled with bitterness, resentment, and intense grievance.

Xia Yan was startled, unable to stop his mouth from twitching.

What the heck?

“Xia Yan, I-I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…” Fang Xihua scrambled to his feet and pitifully approached Xia Yan. His once somewhat delicate face was now streaked with tears, distorting his features into something uniquely ugly.

Seeing Fang Xihua about to hug his legs and beg for forgiveness, Xia Yan gasped. How filthy!!!

His body reacted faster than his brain, and he stepped back, causing Tu Xi, who was clinging to him, to stumble a bit as well.

The young man grabbed the door handle and pulled hard. The heavy door slammed shut, leaving Fang Xihua alone in the emergency exit.

Fang Xihua couldn’t stop in time and crashed head-first into the door.

“…”

No wonder Xia Yan could be with Tu Xi! Both of them were devils!!!

Fang Xihua gnashed his teeth in hatred, mentally stabbing both of them with countless needles. Although he liked Xia Yan, his love was shallow and ignorant, far outweighed by his own sense of self-importance.

Yet, at this moment, needing to ask for help, he could only suppress his anger and put on a pitiful expression.

“Xia Yan… brother.” That word, “brother,” seemed to be squeezed out through gritted teeth. Fang Xihua stepped out of the emergency exit. He was shorter than Xia Yan by a few inches, and facing three tall men, he felt overwhelming pressure. “The thing online, I was just momentarily possessed…”

He carefully chose his words. “…I know I made a terrible mistake and shouldn’t have spoken out of turn… I promise I’ll change, Brother Xia Yan. Can you forgive me?”

It took Xia Yan two or three seconds to understand what he meant.

“So… the rumors online were spread by you?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I know now.” Actually, Xia Yan had long suspected it, so he wasn’t too surprised now that it was confirmed. He secretly glanced at Fang Xihua.

If only the other guy were a bit more competent!

If you’re going to sabotage your rivals, can’t you at least do a better job of it?

Fortunately, his sixth task was already completed. As for the seventh task… quitting the circle doesn’t necessarily mean he must be completely discredited, right? After breaking up with Tu Xi, he could come up with a good excuse… Losing a bit of his reputation was inevitable.

The main issue, though, was being dumped by Tu Xi.

Thinking about this, Xia Yan looked again at the man beside him.

Ever since he met Tu Xi, he had rarely seen him angry. Even when Xia Yan persistently pursued him, Tu Xi maintained a gentlemanly demeanor.

Now that they were together, Tu Xi could be described as the perfect boyfriend.

Wealthy, handsome, well-built, and trustworthy.

Uh… No wonder he was the protagonist shou in the novel, only to be deceived by the scumbag later! Xia Yan was so heartbroken that he almost wanted to shake Tu Xi to make him wake up.

While Xia Yan was lost in his thoughts, Fang Xihua was on the verge of going crazy.

He never expected that Xia Yan wouldn’t even know about the mess he caused and that he had voluntarily come forward and exposed himself due to a misunderstanding.

There clearly could have been a better way to fool him.

Fang Xihua gritted his teeth.

He had long figured out Xia Yan’s temperament from their past interactions. Although he sometimes lost his temper, he rarely truly got angry. If something happened, he would brush it off on the spot.

Even if Xia Yan had forgiven him now because he didn’t know the truth, he probably wouldn’t have bothered to pursue it after finding out later.

“Brother Xia, then… can you forgive me?”

Fang Xihua began to make excuses for his actions. “Everything I’ve done is because I love you!”

Xia Yan: “???”

The other two: “?”

“Because there are always people around you, Brother Xia, even though I was the one who was with you from the start, you ignored me… I’m really jealous…”

Fang Xihua sobbed, portraying himself as a pitiful person who couldn’t get what he wanted while making Xia Yan seem like a player who flirted irresponsibly.

Xia Yan was utterly confused. He couldn’t help but question his own memory and asked the system: [I remember that the original owner always treated Fang Xihua like a brother, and there was no ambiguous relationship, right?]

999 searched through the memories carefully: [No, the original owner handed over all his memories to us when he left this world in exchange for wealth and prosperity in his next life.]

Although the original owner’s looks didn’t match Xia Yan’s level, he was still considered top-tier in the industry. He was completely superficial and never found Fang Xihua attractive. After Xia Yan transmigrated, he kept up the original host’s persona, flirting with many people at bars but never letting things go too far. He always moved on after two weeks, never letting relationships progress further.

[Then what does he mean by all this?]

System: [I don’t know.]

Xia Yan: […fine.]

Since neither of them understood, there was no need to dig deeper. Xia Yan thought for three seconds, then decisively walked to the door and started entering the code.

Fang Xihua was dumbfounded. “You don’t have anything to say?”

“No.”

“But I love you!”

“…,” Xia Yan thought of the friends online who would jokingly confess to helping him out of awkward situations—though he didn’t need it—but this situation seemed perfect to play the role of a jerk. He turned halfway, his side profile elegant and beautiful. With a lazy smile that slightly narrowed his eyes, he spoke with a relaxed tone, “So many people like me. Do I have to care about each one?”

Fang Xihua’s breath caught, and he stammered, “I-I know I’ve done wrong, but I did it all for love, for you…”

He spoke as if what he said made sense, and his confidence seemed to grow.

“I love you, Brother Xia. I just made a small mistake. Can’t you forgive me?”

Xia Yan: “?”

Why do some people demand forgiveness with such confidence after they’ve done something wrong?
Everything Fang Xihua had done was aimed at ruining him. Although, in some ways, he had helped Xia Yan complete his task, that didn’t negate the malice behind his actions.

Xia Yan asked, “So?”

“So… I should…,” Fang Xihua stammered for a long time under the young man’s cold and indifferent gaze before softly saying, “I should… be forgiven…”

Xia Yan: “…”

“Forgive you for selling yourself for resources? Or forgive you for stealing endorsements and then trying to sabotage me when I suppressed you?” Tu Xi smiled warmly, but his words were sharp