Xiao Can seemed very dissatisfied after hearing this. “He was actually talking behind my back?!”
“I scolded him on your behalf,” Tan Zhen said, “I think he was just being stubborn. Otherwise, why would he care so much about Fei Zi?”
“He mentioned this to me face to face, on the night we went out for supper,” Xiao Can said, “His words were similar.”
“It seems like he’s been holding a grudge and can’t let it go,” Tan Zhen said, “If it’s not because he likes you, why would he care to this extent? It’s not normal!”
“Is it possible that he’s just not quite right in the head?” Xiao Can said.
Tan Zhen pondered for a moment before saying, “I still think he likes you.”
Xiao Can frowned but didn’t say anything.
Tan Zhen continued, “Also, remember when he got deleted by you as a friend, and he came to me specifically to mediate? You remember that, right?”
“Yeah…”
“I wanted to tell you at the time, it was so awkward,” Tan Zhen said, “It seemed like he was coaxing his significant other, but officially, I’m his significant other!”
“I suspect you’re only bringing this up now to pass this hot potato to me.”
“If it weren’t for me, he might have already started pursuing you,” Tan Zhen said.
Xiao Can shuddered, “Don’t scare me!”
“You really can’t accept that?” Tan Zhen persisted.
Xiao Can, helpless yet amused, said, “Now is not the time to discuss these things, is it?”
At such a critical moment, they had spent so much time trying to analyze He Xingzhou’s psychology, which was really unimportant.
“The only solution I can think of is the one we discussed earlier,” Tan Zhen said helplessly, “He Xingzhou said to let it be, that I shouldn’t bother with such matters. He’s just… I’m sorry, I’m so frustrated…”
“Do you mind if I go scold him?” Xiao Can asked.
“I don’t mind, go ahead,” Tan Zhen said, then paused before adding, “Give him a good scolding.”
Whether the onlookers believed it or not, proactive clarification was necessary.
Concerning the future, Xiao Can was willing to do whatever it took to make He Xingzhou explain himself.
After preparing himself mentally, he called He Xingzhou, only to hear the voice prompt “Out of service area.”
Presumably, he had been contacted by too many people, so He Xingzhou had cut off his signal to avoid the disturbance.
Feeling helpless, Xiao Can sent He Xingzhou a message, urging him to contact him immediately upon seeing it. He thought it would at least wait until the next day, but unexpectedly, less than ten minutes later, He Xingzhou called him back.
“Is this about the incident that was filmed?” He Xingzhou inquired.
Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, Xiao Can replied, “Yes. What are you planning to do now?”
“Sigh,” He Xingzhou sighed, “I was in a good mood today, but these people had to ruin it.”
“I didn’t call to hear about that,” Xiao Can said sternly. “Aren’t you planning to publicly clarify the situation?”
“You’re being unreasonable. That day, you were the one who initiated our meeting, and you insisted on going out to eat,” He Xingzhou said. “And now you’re coming to scold me. Can’t you have a civil conversation with me?”
Feeling somewhat guilty, Xiao Can remained silent.
“You were the one who was sticking close to me on the street,” He Xingzhou continued, “I didn’t realize how exaggerated your actions were until I saw the video.”
“I’m sorry, alright?” Xiao Can said, embarrassed and anxious, “It’s all my fault. After we’ve assigned blame, we need to resolve this issue!”
“You don’t sound like you’re really sorry,” He Xingzhou sighed, “You’re so upset with me. If you felt so strongly, you shouldn’t have asked me out for dinner in the first place.”
“What do you want me to do then? Tell me?” Xiao Can couldn’t control his emotions anymore, “I know you don’t care, you don’t care what others think, especially since you’re an Alpha. You’re talented, you have connections, countless people will believe you. After a while, when everyone forgets about this, there will still be a ton of people begging to work with you. If I were you, I wouldn’t be in a hurry either. But if you were me, could you still be so relaxed? Do you know what will happen if this matter isn’t resolved properly?!”
“… “
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Can continued, “Just pretend I’m begging you, okay? I was wrong before, I admit it, I reflect on it. But even if I’ve done something wrong, I’m not that kind of person they’re saying I am, right? I just want to clarify that I didn’t do what they said I did! Will you die if you tell the truth publicly?”
“Don’t cry…”
“I’m not crying!” Xiao Can exclaimed.
After saying that, he raised his hand and wiped away his tears forcefully.
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t, ” He Xingzhou’s tone sounded very hesitant and reluctant, “…don’t cry.”
Xiao Can sniffled and wiped his nose with a tissue, both anxious and stubbornly muttered, “I’m not crying.”
He Xingzhou remained silent for a moment, unsure if he should expose Xiao Can.
“I’m begging you,” Xiao Can lowered his posture, sounding pitiful, “Just explain it.”
“I really can’t understand your situation,” He Xingzhou said, “but I’ll explain.”
Feeling a bit relieved, Xiao Can asked, “What are you planning to say?”
“The truth,” He Xingzhou said.
Xiao Can touched his nose, cautiously asking, “Can you not mention that I was the one who asked you out?”
He Xingzhou didn’t respond.
“I’m not asking you to lie, just… just skip over these details,” Xiao Can said, “I’m afraid people might misunderstand.”
“Misunderstand what?” He Xingzhou asked.
Xiao Can gritted his teeth, “If you insist on this, I’ll hang myself at your doorstep tonight.”
He Xingzhou could only smile wryly, “You’re really…”
“Before I die, I’ll write on your house walls in blood, saying you raped me,” Xiao Can said.
“That’s not exactly a humble request,” He Xingzhou remarked.
Xiao Can thought to himself that what he said wasn’t exactly slander. He did indeed initiate the meeting with He Xingzhou because he had been forced to have a forced intimacy with him.
If He Xingzhou insisted on not conceding, he would have to bring this matter to light.
The marks on his body were the best evidence, and they could go to hell together if necessary.
Fortunately, after pondering for a moment, He Xingzhou replied, “I understand, let me think about how to say it.”
“…Thank you,” Xiao Can breathed a sigh of relief, speaking softly.
He Xingzhou actually chuckled, “It’s not easy to get you to thank me.”
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Can calmed down for a moment and began to reflect.
He had actually resorted to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide with He Xingzhou. Thinking back to his sudden loss of composure, Xiao Can felt extremely embarrassed.
He fanned his hot face for a while, persuading himself to calm down first. This wasn’t the time to care about such trivial matters.
He Xingzhou’s willingness to clarify was definitely a good thing.
Although this Alpha was widely recognized for having a bad personality, he was also known for his outspokenness and had never had any scandalous news over the years, which could be considered decent.
But that alone wasn’t enough.
Xiao Can turned on his computer, took the initiative to communicate with the advertising brand, and organized the day’s schedule to provide evidence that their meeting with He Xingzhou was just a coincidence.
He was somewhat talented in writing short essays.
After working hard for over two hours, he repeatedly revised and finally completed the first draft, intending to send it to Tan Zhen to see if it was suitable.
Just as he picked up his phone, he received a message from He Xingzhou.
— I’ve posted it.
Upon seeing this line, Xiao Can suddenly felt a strong sense of unease.
Furrowing his brows, he anxiously opened Weibo.
It was already 3 AM, and He Xingzhou’s Weibo post, which had been up for less than three minutes, had already garnered tens of thousands of reposts.
The first sentence of the Weibo post read: “Don’t misunderstand, it was just a meal together. Isn’t it impolite to assume that an Omega and Alpha having a meal together means they are having a relationship?”
He Xingzhou could actually say such reasonable things.
Xiao Can secretly agreed, clicking to expand and read carefully, only to be stunned.
He Xingzhou actually mentioned being drugged in a hotel and said that he had suffered physical torture ever since, taking medication for a long time.
Some of these medications had obvious side effects, which would completely eliminate mundane desires.
Therefore, he objectively didn’t have the conditions to cheat.
As evidence, he uploaded the filing receipt from the initial report, the doctor’s diagnosis from the visit, and the medication instructions.
At the end of the Weibo post, he wrote: “Consider today as me giving everyone some entertainment. Laugh after dinner, whether mocking or pitying, it’s better than spitting on an innocent person.”
The comments section exploded.
No Alpha would joke about such matters. In most people’s concept, it was better to admit to being promiscuous than to admit to being unable.
For a moment, Xiao Can also believed it to be true, sympathizing with He Xingzhou’s plight. Suddenly, he remembered the incident in the elevator.
If He Xingzhou really “couldn’t get hard,” then the conspicuous tent back then could only have been propped up by a phone, as he said!
He tried refreshing the page and found that He Xingzhou had replied to a comment.
An ID named “Brother Zhou, say a few more words” posted a series of shocked emojis and asked: “Bro, what do you mean??????”
He Xingzhou’s response was simple and straightforward: “I’m impotent.”
Xiao Can was suddenly choked by his own saliva, coughing so hard that he almost dropped his phone.
Could he say such things casually?!
After calming down, he opened the conversation window with He Xingzhou, wanting to say something, but couldn’t organize his words for a long time.
After being in a daze for a while, his phone rang, and He Xingzhou, who had just made an astonishing statement, called him.
“Did you see it?” He Xingzhou asked.
“You… You… How…?” Xiao Can stuttered, “Is this… Is this true…?”
“It’s convincing,” He Xingzhou’s tone was very calm, without a ripple, “That’s all.”
“So you can also lie and deceive,” Xiao Can was still in shock.
“I learned from you,” He Xingzhou said, “You owe me a big favor now.”
Xiao Can pressed his lips together.
If He Xingzhou had simply publicly denied it, Xiao Can would have seen it as simply doing what needed to be done.
But now, he did feel a strong sense of gratitude and indebtedness, while at the same time feeling shocked.
Just what did He Xingzhou, this oddball, think of others’ opinions?
But now, with He Xingzhou’s statement, he should be able to just barely pass this ordeal, right?
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” He Xingzhou asked.
“W-what should I say…” Xiao Can was at a loss for words, “I… ” He raised his hand to wipe his face, “I don’t have anything to repay you with.”
“Yes, you do,” He Xingzhou said.
“What?”
He Xingzhou let out a shallow breath and his tone became more relaxed, “Don’t always be so harsh on me.”
Charlie: BQ! BQ!
