Xiao Can was stunned for a moment, suddenly recalling Tan Zhen’s words just now.
— He Xingzhou seems to like you.
A tiny electric current flashed through the corner of his heart, and his body trembled slightly.
When he spoke again, he stuttered, “Y-you always say strange things yourself, I’m not… I’m not being harsh on you, I…”
“Don’t be so polite to me as if you’re talking to someone else, at least don’t always have a stern face,” He Xingzhou said, “I don’t owe you money.”
“…I’ll try my best,” Xiao Can said.
“I hope you’ll do as you say,” He Xingzhou’s voice carried a hint of amusement, “You must have other things to attend to, right? Then I’ll…”
“Wait!” Xiao Can interrupted him.
“Hmm?”
Xiao Can rubbed his chest with his hand, gathering courage to ask, “Do you care so much about my attitude towards you?”
“No one likes being glared at all the time.”
“Then you could ignore me, pretend I don’t exist,” Xiao Can said, “You think I’m harsh, yet you help me so much, you…”
“You were crying,” He Xingzhou said, “I saw you acting so crazy, what if you really hang yourself at my doorstep?”
Xiao Can ignored his banter, took a deep breath, and asked, “Do you like me?”
“Huh?” He Xingzhou was startled, paused for a few seconds before saying, “No, are you not done?”
“You’re doing me a favor, isn’t it because you want to pursue me?” Xiao Can asked.
He said it with little confidence, feeling guilty and nervous, then forcefully pressed his lips together.
In the past, he had said more explicit things to He Xingzhou, but those were just to provoke him, to embarrass and discomfort him, and he never believed them.
But now, he was serious.
“Come on, I’m in a relationship,” He Xingzhou said, “You’re downright insulting me.”
“Is that so?” Xiao Can mumbled. “I don’t think your relationship with Tan Zhen is very good either.”
“What do you mean?” He Xingzhou was clearly displeased.
Xiao Can realized he misspoke.
Those were all private whispers between him and Tan Zhen, things He Xingzhou shouldn’t know about.
“It’s nothing,” he hastily said, “I’ll hang up now.”
“I have something to say,” He Xingzhou said, “I’m starting to regret clarifying things for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tan Zhen and you have a good relationship, right? He’s so sincere to you, and you’re telling me these things behind his back? Aren’t you ashamed?” He Xingzhou said, “Why did you really ask me out that day?”
Xiao Can was stunned for a moment, recalling his previous words, and belatedly tasted the astonishing arrogance within them.
Even if it wasn’t someone like He Xingzhou, listening to them would make others think he was trying to snatch a friend’s boyfriend, right?
“You’re really…” He Xingzhou was clearly very ashamed of such behavior, “You can rest assured, even if I were single, you’re not the type I would admire. I absolutely won’t like you, let alone pursue you.”
“No, I…”
“Since the statement on Weibo has been posted, I won’t delete it, let’s put an end to this matter,” He Xingzhou said, “Have some self-respect.”
With that, he promptly hung up the call, leaving Xiao Can holding the phone, red-faced, speechless, and choked up.
How to describe this feeling? Embarrassment, humiliation, anger, and a little bit of grievance.
He shouldn’t have asked.
What was this person with a screw loose in his head thinking? He had already gained benefits, wasn’t that enough?
If he didn’t like him, then he didn’t like him. If He Xingzhou really liked him, then that would be troublesome!
Xiao Can indignantly put down his phone and looked at the computer screen, only to find that Tan Zhen had replied to him five minutes ago.
— Don’t say you saw his location on Weibo, say I told you that He Xingzhou was in the same hotel as you?
— You just say, I heard you hadn’t had dinner yet, so I told you that He Xingzhou hadn’t eaten either, that would make it natural!
— Did you see what he posted on Weibo?
— I’m speechless!
— Ahhh, what’s going on with him!
— Now I’ve become the most embarrassed person in the room!
— Hey? Are you asleep?
— How can you sleep now!
Xiao Can hurriedly replied.
— I’m here, I was just on the phone with He Xingzhou.
The phone immediately rang again.
“Did he consult with you before posting?” Tan Zhen’s tone on the phone sounded very mournful.
“No,” Xiao Can said, “I just said I hoped he could clarify.”
“No wonder he was with me for so long, and never mentioned such a request…” Tan Zhen said, “So, he can’t…!…Fortunately, he can’t.”
“Uh…” Xiao Can didn’t feel it was appropriate to explain for He Xingzhou, so he shifted the focus, “Why did you say you’ve become the most embarrassed person?”
“Think about it, the whole world knows your boyfriend is impotent, will you not be embarrassed?” Tan Zhen asked.
“…”
“In the future, when we break up, everyone will assume that I despised him for being impotent, ruining my image, right?” Tan Zhen said, tearfully, “Isn’t that damaging my reputation?”
Xiao Can couldn’t help but laugh.
“I heard a sound,” Tan Zhen said.
Xiao Can quickly restrained himself, “I’m sorry, I really caused trouble for you this time.”
“It’s also my fault, I shouldn’t have gotten involved with him in the first place,” Tan Zhen sighed, “I didn’t expect him to be so tricky.”
“I think you shouldn’t complain to me,” Xiao Can said, “Shouldn’t you go scold him?”
Tan Zhen was awakened by his words, “Right!”
Xiao Can encouraged, “Give him a good scolding.”
“I’ll do that,” Tan Zhen said, not forgetting to remind him, “After you’ve posted your statement, give me a signal, and I’ll repost it.”
After hanging up the phone, Xiao Can revised his short essay according to Tan Zhen’s suggestion, and then sent it out along with the organized evidence.
In the essay, he told everyone that the hotel accommodation that day was arranged by the cooperating party, and he had no intervention throughout the process. Before checking in, he didn’t know that He Xingzhou was also there.
He also explained in his statement that after finishing his schedule that night, he called Tan Zhen and learned about this coincidence during their chat.
Because he had received much help from He Xingzhou in his work before, he invited him to have supper together on Tan Zhen’s suggestion.
He Xingzhou was willing to show his face purely out of respect for Tan Zhen.
During the entire time, neither of them visited the other’s room, and Xiao Can only had pure admiration and respect for He Xingzhou.
If necessary, he could communicate with the hotel to obtain the surveillance footage from that day, which should confirm that they each returned to their own rooms after returning to the hotel.
Tan Zhen forwarded the message, indicating that he was fully aware of the situation and sincerely hoped that his friend and partner could get along well.
At this point, dawn was approaching, and the response was limited.
In Xiao Can’s comment section, many people asked if He Xingzhou really had that kind of problem. Xiao Can picked one to reply to: “I don’t know about that.”
On Tan Zhen’s side, it was all teasing about “your boyfriend’s performance”, and some asked why he only forwarded Xiao Can’s message but not He Xingzhou’s.
Tan Zhen didn’t respond to any of them.
Before going to bed, Xiao Can sent a message to Tan Zhen.
—I owe you a great favor. From today on, I am yours. Just say the word, and I’ll tattoo your name on my forehead.
Tan Zhen replied, asking him:
—What did you say to He Xingzhou? He asked me to stay away from you.
The embarrassment and anger that had been temporarily set aside surged back into his heart.
Xiao Can gritted his teeth as he typed.
—You mentioned it, and I got angry. He suspects I’m trying to seduce him.
Tan Zhen was shocked.
—Oh no!
Xiao Can sighed.
—Let’s not talk about him anymore. Hopefully, we can safely get through this. I’m dead tired, so I’m going to sleep.
Tan Zhen replied with a cat emoji holding its hands together.
Xiao Can didn’t sleep well that night.
He tossed and turned, unable to calm his mind, occasionally picking up his phone to check the trend of public opinion.
The hot search was almost entirely dominated by the names of the three of them. Looking at the comments, it seemed that, compared to the clarification they provided, people were more interested in He Xingzhou’s sensational remarks.
At this stage, the vast majority of people believed that their relationship was indeed innocent.
Of course, there was also a small minority who believed that it only proved He Xingzhou had nothing to hide, Tan Zhen was genuinely kind-hearted, but as for Xiao Can, who knows what schemes he might have hidden?
Although Xiao Can had expected such comments, seeing them still felt uncomfortable.
Finally falling asleep, it was already fully bright outside.
He didn’t sleep well, dreaming a lot, and the annoying He Xingzhou kept appearing in his dreams, making him restless.
After sleeping for more than five hours, he was awakened by his phone ringing.
Xiao Can had a splitting headache. It took him a while to find his phone and when he picked it up, he saw that it was a call from Mr. Ma from Baitao.
He immediately sobered up, a myriad of negative speculations flying through his mind.
Anxiously, he answered the call, only to hear a cheerful voice on the other end.
Mr. Ma told him that they had just had a meeting and decided to release the song they had created before immediately.
Xiao Can was stunned for a moment, then he let out a long sigh of relief and replied with a smile, “Alright, I’ll cooperate with the promotion.”
Baitao’s decision to make such adjustments undoubtedly meant that the trend of public opinion had reversed, and they wanted to capitalize on the peak of the topic’s popularity.
This hurdle should be considered passed.
Just as he got up, he received a call from the sunscreen brand. They also intended to take advantage of this opportunity to promote and release his advertising posters in advance.
Naturally, Xiao Can had no objections.
Stepping out of his room, Mu Nianwen rushed over to him as soon as he saw him.
“It should be okay now,” Xiao Can told Mu Nianwen with a smile, “I survived a great disaster, there must be good luck ahead!”
Mu Nianwen waved his hand, “No, He Xingzhou really can’t perform?!”
“Why would you think I know the answer?” Xiao Can asked.
“I don’t know, just a feeling,” Mu Nianwen frowned at him, “You seem to be hiding a lot from me.”
Xiao Can didn’t know where to start.
“You didn’t sleep well yesterday, did you? I thought you wouldn’t get up until at least the afternoon,” Mu Nianwen asked, “Do you have plans for today?”
“Yeah,” Xiao Can sighed, “I have to go to the hospital.”
It was time for him to go for a follow-up check-up, leaving He Xingzhou always made him uncomfortable.
