The scandal of Jing Li catching his unfaithful partner red-handed was quickly reported by the media. Without any guidance, the explosive news of “rich second-generation catching his cheating boyfriend on the spot” spread like wildfire on the internet and smoothly climbed the top ten search rankings in less than an hour.
Although the victim, the rich second-generation, was not shown in the media reports, the faces of the scumbag and the third party were fully exposed without any censor, presenting them clearly to the public.
As netizens enjoyed the gossip, they swiftly dug up information about the two individuals, completely exposing their backgrounds.
To everyone’s shock, it turned out that both of them had respectable identities. One was an emerging figure in the tech industry, and the other was an actor with several million fans. This revelation instantly fueled the anger of netizens.
Less than a year after graduating from university, how could these two individuals have risen to such status? It’s hard to believe they didn’t capitalize on the wealth of the rich second-generation. The public sentiment turned into a wave of indignation.
Enraged netizens flocked to the scumbag’s company’s and the third party’s social media accounts, launching vicious attacks.
“How did a scumbag who schemed to climb up even dare to name his company after himself and the third party. How dare he insult the true victim on the spot?”
“It’s because of these types of garbage that so many people are deceived! I strongly recommend humanitarianism and making the world a clean place!”
“Playing around with the ex-boyfriend’s blood money while maintaining an ambiguous relationship, that’s so heartless and despicable!”
“Chenxiao Technology, right? Okay, if I ever buy a product from this company again, I’m a dog!”
“As a newcomer, how did you manage to gain such great opportunities within just a year? How can you shamelessly enjoy the resources others give you while cheating with their boyfriend?”
“With this kind of character, does the third party deserve to be in the entertainment industry? Perhaps he should learn how to be a decent human being before coming back!”
…….
The continuous stream of insults on the screen showed no sign of stopping. The phones of the two involved parties were incessantly bombarded by calls from countless strangers, and a barrage of humiliating messages appeared on their screens, leaving no room for peace.
For a moment, it seemed like all the worst scenarios were crashing down on them. Lin Xiao sat on the couch, curled up, with a helpless and panicked look on his face.
However, the situation didn’t end there. His agent called, threatening, “I don’t care who you’ve offended, but all our business partners are calling to cancel cooperation. The roles we previously discussed have all been retracted. If you can’t handle this crisis properly, prepare to be sidelined by the company!”
Without waiting for his response, the agent hung up.
Hearing the busy tone from the receiver, Lin Xiao felt his mind go blank, filled with fear and despair.
He anxiously turned to the person beside him, his voice trembling, “Liang-ge, what should I do? Have I reached a dead end?”
His distressed expression showed none of the calmness he had when facing Jing Li.
In fact, the turn of events also baffled Zhong Liangchen. He never expected Jing Li to act so decisively. For a moment, he couldn’t process the situation.
However, looking at Lin Xiao, who was clearly desperate and on the verge of collapse, he still forced himself to calm down, pulling him into an embrace and murmuring, “Don’t worry, I… will think of a solution.”
Despite his words, he was actually in a mess inside and had no clue at all.
At that moment, his personal phone rang. It was his assistant, and as soon as he answered, the assistant urgently exclaimed, “It’s not good. The stock price of Chenxiao Technology has dropped to its limit within an hour. Major partners are calling to cancel cooperation, and the company’s shareholders are demanding an immediate explanation from you, otherwise…”
The assistant didn’t finish his sentence, but it was clear it wasn’t good news.
Zhong Liangchen’s face turned grim, his fingers gripping the phone so tightly it seemed as if he could crush it. He loathed the opportunistic behaviors of these people and regretted his overly decisive attitude toward Jing Li, which ultimately backfired and led to the current situation.
Then, a sudden realization struck him as he thought of Jing Li. The situation hadn’t reached an irreparable point. If it began because of Jing Li, as long as he clarified the misunderstanding, everything could return to normal.
With this thought, Zhong Liangchen’s spirits lifted. Didn’t Jing Li want his genuine affection? If he could pretend to surrender to him and promise to suppress this incident, he would always treat him well, just as Jing Li wanted. What reason would he have to refuse?
With this in mind, Zhong Liangchen’s lips curved into a smile, and hope flickered in his eyes.
*
Jing Li didn’t know how the public opinion outside had changed drastically. After hanging up the phone, he returned to his room, exchanged his clothes for the suit he had prepared earlier, and washed his hands multiple times in the bathroom until the nauseating feeling subsided. Then, he wiped his hands with a tissue, stood up, and made his way to the banquet hall.
The banquet hall was on the third floor. The entire hall was ornately decorated, with long white silk-draped tables lining both sides. Beautiful vibrant bouquets stood amidst neatly arranged crystal plates bearing assorted delicate delicacies, presenting a visually irresistible spread.
There was still almost an hour before the event, but many guests had already arrived. They gathered in small groups, conversing softly, making the atmosphere lively yet refined.
Waiters in shirts and vests gracefully weaved between guests, occasionally offering drinks from elegant glassware. The entire venue was filled with an elegant and low-key luxurious atmosphere, and it looked extremely harmonious.
“Hey, Jing Li, over here.”
As soon as Jing Li stepped into the hall, he heard someone calling his name from a corner, prompting the guests to turn their heads toward him. Some familiar faces even nodded to greet him.
Jing Li courteously returned their nods and then scanned the group in the corner, recognizing the familiar faces of the original’s group of friends. The one who called him was Li Yuanpeng, who had just called him on the phone. He was energetically waving at him.
Jing Li paused for a moment, pretending not to see the faces behind him, whether they were worried or expecting to see a good show, and then walked toward the group in the corner.
“Come, sit here.” Li Yuanpeng stood up, making room for Jing Li, and pulled him to a seat, complaining, “Why did it take you so long? I’ve been calling for almost half an hour.”
“Yeah, I was delayed.” Jing Li reclined lazily on the sofa. His relaxed posture instantly dimmed the surrounding people, making him the unwitting center of attention without changing his expression. It was as if he naturally considered everything he did to be a matter of course.
“What’s the deal with that guy surnamed Zhong? It’s all over Weibo.” A person with a good relationship with Jing Li couldn’t help but approach and ask, concerned, “Is this for real?”
“It’s just what you saw.” Jing Li guessed that they had probably seen the media reports. With nothing to hide, he nodded, “We broke up.”
“Even breaking up, if you really have the heart to do it, I can unscrew mine and kick it to you as a ball.” Another person nearby joked, leaning in and teasing. He approached, wearing a mischievous smile, “I didn’t expect you, Er Shao, to come up with such a new trick. Are you tired of the crying and making a scene routine?”
“Do you admire it?” Jing Li smiled wryly and glanced at him, “Should I get you to experience it in person?”
The young man teased with a smile. “Ah, spare me. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy that blessing.”
His aggravating response drew raucous laughter from the others. In contrast, Jing Li remained expressionless, as if their conversation had nothing to do with him.
Naturally, this group of people cannot be satisfied with this calm appearance. Their intention in waiting here was purely to join in the excitement and watch the show. An unaffected party would spoil their fun.
And so, someone promptly whipped out his phone and pulled up Weibo. “Hey, Er Shao, I bet you haven’t seen how crazy Weibo has become! Let me read some out for you.”
“Rich second generation catches cheating boyfriend in the act, gets cursed viciously by the other party for his despicable behavior.”
“There’s even more… intercepted cheating, the scumbag begged the rich second-generation to suppress the news before negotiating.” The person read these out loud from their phone with a shaking voice, “I’m telling you, these media will go to any lengths for attention, they’re just short of portraying our Young Master Jing as ruling over a vast grassland. No wonder the buzz is going so fast.”
“There’s more…Cheaters caught red-handed; the scumbag begs the rich second generation to at least suppress the news first before negotiating.” He laughed while scrolling down his feed. “Man, the media really goes all out for attention. They’ve basically portrayed our Er Shao with a green grassland above his head1“头上长草” (pronounced “tóu shàng zhǎng cǎo”) means that one has been cheated on or cuckolded. The literal translation is “grass growing on one’s head,” which originates from the notion that someone is oblivious or unaware as if they wouldn’t notice grass sprouting from their own head. ! No wonder it’s trending so quickly!”
Then they put down their phone and teasingly said to Jing Li, “Young Master, tell us, what’s the real situation? You played for real this time?”
Putting his phone down, he grinned teasingly at Jing Li. “Come on, tell us what exactly happened. Did you really catch that Zhong in the act with someone?”
The others also looked at Jing Li with great interest.
“Yes, as you saw.” Still nonchalantly draped on the sofa, Jing Li lazily glanced at the speaker without even changing his expression. “Or are the photos not exciting enough? Should I get a live show with the main characters for you?”
His sarcastic retort drew more laughter as eyes turned mockingly towards the man. Jokes about his unknown preferences rose, inadvertently redirecting the spotlight.
The man certainly hadn’t expected the topic to boomerang back at himself. Somewhat at a loss, he hastily took out his phone again. “Forget that. But you’re right, these photos are pretty insane. You can see every micro-expression clearly.”
“Look at this one,” he flashed his screen at the others. “This should be just as they entered right? That Zhong guy is actually shielding his lover! Looking at it like this, he seems decently reliable as a man.”
Glancing at Jing Li’s indifference, he swiped to the next photo. “And here, that Lin-something cowering behind Zhong looking all pitiful, like Young Master Jing is some terrifying demon lord! Tsk tsk…”
“Ah, that’s you right?” He suddenly tugged Jing Li’s sleeve, leaning over to show him the screen. “I remember you wearing this outfit this morning. What was Zhong trying to do by grabbing you like that? Begging you to let them off? Or to give his boy toy a way out?”
“Mm, it’s me.” Jing Li glanced sideways. “He was hoping I could suppress this matter first, probably because he was worried it would affect his little boyfriend’s future.”
“Looking at it like this, he seemed quite manly.” If not for the later shameless begging.
Jing Li’s indifferent reaction left the melon-eaters momentarily taken aback as they realized he had been watching the whole affair as an outsider from the beginning to the end, even if he was deeply involved in it. Even they had shown more excitement than him.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.
Right then, Jing Li’s phone chimed. Checking it, Zhong Liangchen had sent a message hoping to meet and apologize.
Jing Li had no intention of responding and was about to delete it when the person beside him quickly recited in a mocking tone, “Xiao Jing, I was wrong about today’s matter. Could we arrange a time to meet… Hey hey, don’t delete yet, I haven’t finished reading!”
“It’s just a junk message, nothing worth reading.” Jing Li nonchalantly deleted the message and blocked the scumbag’s WeChat. His unfamiliarity with the steps made his actions seem clumsy.
“Why block him? At least hear how he tries to defend himself!” The man had an aggrieved look of interrupted melon-eating.
Just as he finished speaking, Jing Li’s phone rang again. Realizing he was blocked, the scumbag directly called.
“Weren’t you interested to hear his excuses? Here’s your chance.” Jing Li raised a brow, glancing briefly before placing the phone on the table and tapping the loudspeaker to answer.
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