TCFGBH Chapter 42

Since parting ways at the bar, Chu Zizhe had become very depressed, immersed in the pain of unrequited love.

He thought of Xia Yan during class, eating, and sleeping. But every time he opened his phone, it was filled with praise for Xia Yan and Tu Xi’s beautiful romance.

“……”

Chu Zizhe gritted his teeth, cursing them both, wishing for their breakup.

He couldn’t bear to look at Weibo anymore, so he uninstalled all social media apps and planned to find a way to continue pursuing Xia Yan once his mood had calmed. After all… giving up was not an option.

Who knew that the world had changed when he woke up in the morning. From classmates’ whispers, he learned that Tu Xi’s stalking behavior had been exposed.

Chu Zizhe’s first thought wasn’t joy but anxiety.

Oh no, Xia Yan won’t think it was him, right?

He held his phone, his expression changing repeatedly. After a while, he finally mustered the courage to dial the number he got from the detective, speaking carefully.

Just to explain, right?

It should be fine.

Fearing Xia Yan would hang up, Chu Zizhe babbled, like a condemned prisoner waiting for judgment.
Through the cold mechanical voice, Xia Yan’s tone was somewhat indifferent and cold.

“Mm, I understand.”

Chu Zizhe was a bit confused. Was this belief or disbelief?

Fuck! Which bastard exposed this?

He remembered the warmth of Xia Yan’s fingers and the lazy voice that felt like a warm autumn afternoon, making him feel cozy.

The contrast was too much to accept.

Chu Zizhe gritted his teeth, full of resentment, “Brother, don’t worry, I’ll definitely find out who spread the news.”

Without waiting for a rejection, he immediately hung up.

Xia Yan: “???”

Looking bewildered.

“What’s wrong?” Tu Xi scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and naturally offered it to Xia Yan’s lips, lightly tapping them with the spoon’s edge.

Xia Yan instinctively opened his mouth, the warm porridge sliding down his throat.

“?”

Wait! Tu Xi used this spoon.

He widened his eyes, looking at Tu Xi and then at the spoon. After a moment of hesitation, he couldn’t help but say, “I’ll do it myself, no need to trouble you.”

Tu Xi looked innocent, “Alright then.”

Calming himself down, Xia Yan recounted Chu Zizhe’s words, “I also think he’s unlikely to be the culprit, but aside from us, who else knows about this?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“True.”

Xia Yan didn’t dwell on it further.

The two of them stayed in the hotel until the afternoon. During this time, Xia Yan also had to deal with Wang Dazhuang, listening to his long-winded complaints about Tu Xi on WeChat.

It was fortunate that Wang Dazhuang knew he was with Tu Xi, otherwise, his phone would have been bombarded with messages.

Xia Yan typed: [You previously advised me to treat Tu Xi better.]

[Nonsense!] Wang Dazhuang: [If I knew he was like this, I’d have advised you to dump him immediately. This isn’t an ordinary person]

[Because he’s not ordinary, that’s why he can tolerate me flirting with Zhao Wenhan on live broadcasts, right?]

Wang Dazhuang was at a loss for words: [……]

[Calm down, it’s not a big deal.]

[Xia Yan!] Wang Dazhuang thought for a while, pulling out several strands of his thinning hair, [We can’t be blinded by love. Healthy, positive relationships are the right way to go. Flirting to attract your partner’s attention is wrong.]

[……]

[How about I get you a therapist so we can talk?]

Xia Yan pressed his lips together, almost unable to imagine his current reputation: [Wang Dazhuang, I’m giving you a chance to organize your words.]

Wang Dazhuang: [The therapist is an old classmate of mine, very confidential, absolutely won’t be discovered.]

[……] Fine, he couldn’t fire a fellow agent who had shared hardship. Xia Yan sighed softly and changed the topic: [Tu Xi got me a new resource, the global endorsement for Ayrton. You need to discuss it with his agent.]

When it came to business matters, Wang Dazhuang was still reliable.

[Got it.]

In the early afternoon, the hotel delivered two sets of clean clothes.

Tu Xi went downstairs to check out, while Xia Yan called a ride-sharing car. The two arrived at the villa where Heartbeat was filmed and were met with many discreet glances.

Clearly, everyone knew about the online news.

The director rubbed his hands together, his small eyes sparkling: “Xia Yan, Tu Xi, you two are back. You missed yesterday’s eight-person live broadcast. Are you going to make it up today?”
The traffic of Xia Yan and Tu Xi together surpassed the combined traffic of the other six participants.

The director clearly didn’t want to miss out.

But to be honest, their recent exposure was too high. It might become annoying if it continued, so it was better to lay low for a while.

“Sorry, Director,” Xia Yan politely declined.

The director tried to persuade them a few more times, but after seeing their firm decision not to do the broadcast, he had no choice but to let them go.

After saying goodbye to everyone at the villa, they parted ways. Song Xueyang, the liveliest, said they should look her up if they went to Magic City; she would treat them to a meal.

The Bai Zhiyi couple was always the most tolerant on variety shows, treating everyone as juniors.
Wei Junhao… well, it was hard to read him.

At nearly 1.9 meters tall, with his stern, cool face, Xia Yan felt he might not favor him. So when Wei Junhao said he could help with anything in the future, Xia Yan was completely taken aback.

[System, I remember Wei Junhao disliked me, right?]

The system was unsure: [It seems so.]

[Then why now…]

[It doesn’t matter. You won’t have much interaction with him in the future.]

[True.] Xia Yan nodded inwardly.

As for the last female guest, they didn’t interact much due to the short time spent together and her shy personality. They exchanged some polite words and said their goodbyes.

In the following days, Xia Yan had no work and spent his time at home relaxing and enjoying himself.

The online buzz about him and Tu Xi gradually subsided, and the latest hot topic became Fang Xihua’s sentencing. Although for Xia Yan, Fang Xihua was a thing of the past, for Fang Xihua himself, hell had just begun.

Due to the huge amount of fraud and the serious nature of his crimes, he was sentenced to twelve years in prison and all his assets were confiscated.

In the fast-paced era, twelve years was enough to ruin a person’s life. Dressed in prison clothes, Fang Xihua looked haggard, his face greasy, far from the once beautiful and cute young man.

If only he had known this would be the outcome.

As National Day approached, Xia Yan and Tu Xi boarded a flight to France to shoot for Ayrton’s high-end series. With the experience from the previous shoot, Xia Yan was more composed this time, and their collaboration went very smoothly.

The ad was released before National Day, with Xia Yan and Tu Xi billboards covering the streets and alleys.

One was elegant and gentle, the other flamboyant and striking.

Looking at the two’s achievements.

So cool!!!

Buy!!!

Despite not having any major works, Xia Yan had two high-end endorsements, one of which was a global endorsement. Many stars in the industry, while jealous, had to admit that in terms of looks and temperament, he truly deserved it.

In addition to endorsements, there were also many script and variety show invitations, which Xia Yan declined.

As soon as he returned to the country, Xia Yan hurriedly urged Tu Xi to start filming.

Tu Xi: “…Baby, don’t you miss me?”

“I miss my film emperor boyfriend,” Xia Yan said expressionlessly.

“Well…” Tu Xi said jokingly, “If I win the film emperor award, will you marry me?” As soon as he said this, he saw the youth’s troubled expression out of the corner of his eye, and sighed inwardly, “Just kidding. Before marriage, we should get engaged first.”

“…”

Tu Xi took his hand, rubbing the silver ring, “Then it’s settled. I’ll start filming the day after tomorrow. Once I win the film emperor award, we’ll get engaged.”

Xia Yan, who initially wanted to refuse, immediately nodded upon hearing the filming start date: “Alright.”

But is engagement okay?

Tu Xi noticed that since they became intimate, Xia Yan had been somewhat evasive, constantly urging him to start filming. It was probably that night’s impact on him was too great.

This was a good opportunity to leave for a few days, allowing the youth to breathe.

—

In the morning, dark clouds weighed heavily on the horizon, and misty rain fell on the transparent window.

Xia Yan lay in the living room, the curtains half-drawn. The projector showed old films with slightly rough quality, which he watched intermittently, almost living out a retirement life.

He had done everything that needed to be done, and now he just had to wait for Tu Xi to become the film emperor.

Ding ding ding!

Suddenly, the harsh ringtone broke the silence.

The youth turned down the projector’s volume and answered the call: “Hello.”

“Yan Yan, it’s me.” Chu Zizhe’s urgent and flustered voice came through. “I’ve found the person who spread the rumors about Tu Xi.”

“Ah?” Xia Yan returned to his senses, a bit curious about the ‘culprit’, “Who is it?”

“Zhao Wenhan.”

Hearing this name, Xia Yan was a bit stunned. In his memory, Zhao Wenhan was a well-behaved, obedient, and tearful young master. How could he have the guts to do something like this?

“He used the Zhao family’s connections, which is why it took me so long to find out.” Chu Zizhe’s family also had power, but his influence was abroad, and he couldn’t compare to the Zhao family in the country.

If Zhao Wenhan hadn’t been inexperienced and clumsy, leaving clues, Chu Zizhe might never have found out.

Xia Yan was puzzled: “Why would Zhao Wenhan know about this?”

Chu Zizhe speculated from the worst angle: “You’d have to ask Zhao Wenxiu. Maybe he was jealous of Tu Xi and deliberately exposed this matter, using his own brother as a pawn.”

“……” That seems unlikely.

After interacting with Zhao Wenxiu before, Xia Yan believed his affection for his brother was genuine. However, the matter was over, and he had no more contact with the Zhao brothers, so there was no need to get them involved in this issue.

Xia Yan thought momentarily and said, “Okay, I understand. Goodbye.”

“Wait!” Chu Zizhe hurriedly called, “Xia Yan, don’t you have anything else to say?”

“?” What is there to say between us?

The sudden silence said it all.

Chu Zizhe opened his mouth and then closed it. Although he had countless things to say in his heart, he couldn’t say anything at this moment. He took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible: “It’s getting late. I have to go to class. Goodbye.”

“Okay.”

Beep—

The line went dead. Chu Zizhe stared blankly at his phone, tossing it aside. He then lay on his bed, staring at the white ceiling, lost in thought.

This parting… should be dignified enough.

When Xia Yan hung up on the curly-haired Chu Zizhe, Zhao Wenxiu’s number appeared on the screen. Xia Yan didn’t want any further involvement with them and hit the reject button.

But the man was persistent and kept calling.

[Can I block him?]

System: […After all, he’s the protagonist gong]

In case there’s something related to the main plot later…

Xia Yan sighed deeply and reluctantly answered the call.

“Sorry to disturb you,” Zhao Wenxiu’s voice came through, hoarse and subdued compared to before, “I want to tell you something about my younger brother.”

As soon as he spoke, Xia Yan knew what he would say.

“If you’re referring to Zhao Wenhan exposing the news about Tu Xi following me, I already know.”

Zhao Wenxiu was silent for a moment. “Chu Zizhe told you.”

“Mm.”

“And you were on the phone with him just now.”

“Mm.”

“Although it might be a bit late, I still want to apologize. And about my younger brother…”
There was a dull rustling sound on the other end of the line. After about ten seconds, Zhao Wenhan’s voice came through, sounding choked: “Brother Xia Yan, I’m so sorry, woo woo woo.”

Zhao Wenhan was still the crying type, his voice hoarse and tearful: “I thought you didn’t know about Tu Xi, and I was afraid you’d be deceived…” He hesitated, not saying the word ‘jealous’: “So I exposed it.”

In this situation, it was truly a mess.

Tu Xi’s actions of following him were real, and he was at fault. Zhao Wenhan exposing it and deliberately buying trending searches to incite online bullying against Tu Xi was also wrong.
Xia Yan rubbed his temples. “It’s okay, it’s all in the past.”

The youth’s voice was calm, without anger or resentment. However, the calmer he was, the more fearful Zhao Wenhan became, sensing an impending complete loss of him.

“Brother Xia Yan!!!” Zhao Wenhan cried out, “Can we meet? I have an apology gift I want to give you.”

“No need.”

“Please, Brother Xia Yan.” Zhao Wenhan clung to him, his sobs growing louder as if he would cry himself into a faint if the youth refused.

From Tu Xi’s filming to the movie release and then winning the Film Emperor award.

The entire process would take at least a year.

Xia Yan’s storyline was already over, but the two protagonists’ storylines were still ongoing. If something related to the protagonist gong came up in the meantime, what should he do?

So, in a way, Xia Yan didn’t want to make things too awkward with the Zhao brothers.

Maintaining a normal friendship would be good.

After some hesitation, Xia Yan eventually agreed to Zhao Wenhan’s request.

They agreed to meet at a secluded teahouse with a private room. Once the door was locked, the room was peaceful and quiet, with only a faint tea fragrance lingering.

When Xia Yan arrived, Zhao Wenhan and Zhao Wenxiu were already seated.

Zhao Wenxiu still maintained his mature and composed demeanor, but his slightly messy hair gave him a somewhat worn-out appearance, detracting from his original aura.

Zhao Wenhan had red eyes and was huddled up like a little rabbit.

It was hard to believe that the person who had exposed the dirt was him.

“Brother Xia Yan, you’re here,” Zhao Wenhan said, usually eager to rush up to Xia Yan with joy, but today he was unusually restrained, “I’ll pour you some tea.”

The white porcelain teacup held a large amount of oolong tea, its leaves slowly unfurling.

The tea’s aroma, mixed with a slight sweetness, was smooth and mellow on the palate.

Xia Yan glanced around the room. All unrelated personnel had already been cleared out, leaving only the three of them. Zhao Wenxiu held a folder, while behind Zhao Wenhan was a half-meter-long wrapped object, its contents unknown.

Xia Yan sipped tea and said, “You should apologize to Tu Xi, not to me.”

“……” Zhao Wenhan bit his lip, his eyes filling with mist. It was impossible for him to bow down to his rival. He forced a smile and said, “Brother Xia Yan, this is a gift from me and my brother to you. Please open it and take a look.”

The folder wasn’t thick, containing a dozen or so sheets of paper.

Filled with professional jargon and some terms Xia Yan couldn’t understand, he puzzled over it for a full minute before incredulously saying, “You’re giving me one percent of the Zhao family’s shares?”

That was Zhao’s family. One percent of the shares were worth 300 million USD.

Converted to RMB, that was 2.1 billion.

He could live comfortably for a lifetime on the dividends alone.

Was the Zhao family a haven for foolish rich people?

“To express our apology for this incident, my brother and I are each giving you 0.5% of the shares as a token of our regret,” Zhao Wenxiu said, bowing his head.

Xia Yan struggled to hold back his disbelief and broke his usual composed demeanor. “Are you guys alright?”

“Is Brother Xia Yan concerned about us?” Zhao Wenhan cradled his face with his hands, showing a timid smile. “I’m so happy.”

Happy about receiving money? This was hopeless.

Xia Yan’s mouth twitched. “I don’t need the shares. You haven’t done anything wrong to me.”
“It’s okay, Brother Xia Yan.” Zhao Wenhan leaned in, pushing a pen into Xia Yan’s hand with a firm attitude that left no room for refusal. “You just need to sign here. The rest will be handled by my brother. Don’t you want more than 20 billion?”

This was indeed a huge temptation.

But for someone who would eventually leave, what use was that money?

“Enough, I said I don’t want it.” The youth threw the pen on the table, feigning impatience. “If that’s all you want to say, I’ll be leaving.”

His attitude was stubborn and unyielding.

The two were momentarily stunned, exchanging a look, and silently chose to give up.

“Well then, I hope you accept this gift,” Zhao Wenhan said, pointing to the rectangular object behind him, a faint blush on his face. “This is a painting I did. It’s not a valuable item.”

“……”

“Brother Xia Yan, you’ve already refused the other gift. Can’t you accept this one too?”

Zhao Wenhan was a rising new painter. One painting was valued at around 300,000 to 400,000 RMB, which was considered cheap by their standards.

After some hesitation, Xia Yan nodded.

Zhao Wenhan’s face lit up with a big, happy smile.

With the matter settled, Xia Yan stood up to leave. Zhao Wenxiu volunteered to put the painting in the trunk. The two brothers silently watched as the youth’s car drove away.

After an unknown period, Zhao Wenhan’s eyes filled with deep unwillingness. “He didn’t stay.”

“……”

Zhao Wenxiu remained silent, as usual. Zhao Wenhan didn’t mind; he knew that his brother’s feelings were the same as his own.

If Xia Yan had signed and accepted the shares, they would have had an excuse to approach him confidently in the future.

Unfortunately…

But it’s okay. There will be opportunities in the future.

Traffic in the capital was always heavy, even outside meal times, and Xia Yan returned home in the evening.

As soon as he sat down, he received a video call from Tu Xi.

Since Tu Xi had left town to film, their only means of communication was by phone. Usually, when Xia Yan was home alone, he wore pajamas.

Seeing him dressed neatly this time, Tu Xi said, “You went out.” 

“Mm.”

Since the news about Tu Xi hiring a private investigator came out, he had proactively asked Huang Jiancheng to leave. Without the “surveillance,” Tu Xi had become a bit anxious and would often video call whenever he had free time.

To prevent him from sneaking back and delaying the filming, Xia Yan explained everything from start to finish.

“I see,” Tu Xi nodded, casually adding, “I thought it might be my parents, but now that I think about it, it doesn’t make sense. They’re very concerned about their reputation and wouldn’t do anything to expose my shortcomings.”

Xia Yan had always been loved by his parents in his past life.

He wasn’t sure how to comfort someone from a troubled family.

Fortunately, Tu Xi only mentioned it in passing. The couple had long since ceased to have any impact on him. Under Xia Yan’s pressure, they could only seethe with impotent rage.

Tu Xi changed the subject. “Is that the gift Zhao Wenhan gave you? Can I see it?”

It was just a painting, so there was no harm in showing it.

Xia Yan adjusted his phone and unwrapped the cloth covering the painting.

The painting was predominantly in shades of black, deep and shallow, forming a mass. In the center of the image, where there was a halo of light, a young man held a bouquet of flowers, smiling softly, exuding tenderness and affection.

The artist’s love was all imbued in the painting, almost overwhelming.

Xia Yan: “…”

Tu Xi: “…I’m feeling jealous.”

“I didn’t know it would turn out this way…”

“I want to see you.”

“Stop it. Focus on your filming.”

“Then, about the painting…” The words “throw it away” remained unspoken. Tu Xi, suppressing his jealousy, rephrased, “Put it in the storage pile and never open it again.”

Tu Xi knew that Xia Yan’s character would never disregard a gift given to him. So, he chose a different approach to make it easier for Xia Yan.

No matter how jealous Zhao Wenhan might be, Xia Yan would only be his.

Xia Yan, who had no interest in Zhao Wenhan, wanted to soothe Tu Xi and ensure his focus on his work. He agreed decisively, “Okay.”

After a bit more conversation, they ended the call.

Time passed quickly, and winter’s chill had set in by the end of October. Xia Yan became increasingly inclined to stay home, watching movies one after another on the projector, enjoying his routine.

Suddenly, the system panel appeared again.

The ominous red light flickered.

[Side Mission: Save Zhao Wenxiu from a fire. (This is one of the critical world missions. Failure to complete it will result in the collapse of this small world.)]