Huh? Are villainous bosses this easy to flirt with?

Chapter 222 "Love and Hate"

After returning from the police station yesterday, Xie Nuo became extremely irritable and emotionally unstable.

In the room with the curtains drawn, the phone with the shattered screen on the floor suddenly lit up, its blinding light flashing in the darkness as if mocking or provoking.

However, the next second it was hit hard again, kicked into the corner of the wall and completely extinguished.

Xie Qing, Xie Qing, Xie Qing... It's Xie Qing again! Why is everyone siding with Xie Qing?!

He was jealous and angry, wishing Xie Qing would disappear from the world the next second.

Unconsciously, Xie Nuo recalled the scene in the police station lobby—he huddled behind a pillar like a rat in a sewer, watching his parents who had raised him for over twenty years, weeping and begging for Xie Qing's forgiveness, their own son whom they wished they could give their hearts to.

Xie Qing didn't even glance at what he was desperately trying to protect, discarding it like trash.

In his agitation and rage, he grabbed a perfume bottle from the dressing table and smashed it against the mirror. The broken pieces spread like a spider web, scattering fragments that reflected countless distorted faces.

Having faced her unsophisticated biological parents, Xie Nuo's self-deception and pretense were brutally exposed. The overwhelming online ridicule constantly reminded her: Xie Nuo is an imposter, a joke, a despicable usurper!

Thinking of all this, he frantically tore at his hair, muttering incoherently, "I'm not me, I'm not me, I'm not... Die, die, die... All of you, die...!!!"

Xie Nuo was like a manic person, smashing and breaking things in the room, but all the madness was confined to that room. He didn't dare to make a scene in the living room for fear that the servants would see it and it would reach Bai Xiaoran's ears.

Thinking of his devilish sugar daddy, Xie Nuo suddenly shuddered—last time, because he refused to apologize to Xie Qing, he was hung up and whipped all over by Bai Xiaoran after returning.

Those wounds haven't fully healed yet, and even the slightest touch makes me break out in a cold sweat from the pain.

Ironically, the only person who can help him now is his abuser.

Recently, Bai Xiaoran's attitude towards Xie Nuo has become increasingly cold. At first, he could still take Xie Nuo to social occasions to annoy Gu Yan, but now he only comes once every ten days or half a month, as if he has lost interest.

Xie Nuo broke his own phone. In order to contact Bai Xiaoran, he stumbled and rushed out of the second bedroom to get the spare phone, stepping over the mess on the floor.

Perhaps he was too anxious, or perhaps the emotional breakdown of the past two days had exhausted his strength. As he passed the corner of the spiral staircase, he suddenly missed a step and lost his balance.

With a short scream, Xie Nuo's body tumbled down like a puppet with its strings cut, the back of his head slamming heavily against the edge of the steps. Warm liquid spread from the back of his head, seeping into the ground in a dark patch...

*

Online entertainment news updates very quickly. After trending online for three days, the topic of Xie Qing was gradually replaced by other news.

Just when everyone thought the matter was gradually calming down, another explosive news item related to it reignited the internet—

Star-picking lawsuit for spreading rumors

#Star-Picking Entertainment's Favourite#

……

These terms quickly rose to the top of the trending search list, followed by a deep red "hot" label.

Netizens were shocked when they clicked on the entry: Zhaixing Entertainment sued 289 accounts for "spreading rumors and defaming its artists online".

Two hundred and eighty-nine!!!

That's no small sum.

The defendants were all marketing accounts and keyboard warriors who had previously been the most rampant in spreading rumors and smearing Xie Qing. Although the saying "the internet is not a lawless place" is familiar, it is unprecedented in the entertainment industry to sue so many people at once.

[Is Zhaixing... suing so many people because he has too much money to spend?!]

[Hmm... I can understand. Xie Qing is an artist under this company after all. It's unfair to spread rumors about him for no reason. Zhaixing always protects its own artists, so they certainly wouldn't stand idly by.]

Although I know that Zhaixing is protective of her own, I don't know why this is especially evident in Xie Qing. Is it just my imagination? Let me think about it.

[Oh, why think so much? If you ask me, it's just one word—awesome!!! Seeing those people hiding behind their screens spreading rumors get exposed is so satisfying!!! No wonder it's called "Star Picker," this was awesome!!! Thumbs up!]

[Thumbs up! I love entertainment companies that can handle things! (???w???)]

【…】

Netizens overwhelmingly supported him, and amidst the cheers, fans seized the opportunity to promote him: "Dear casual viewers, look here! Qingqing is definitely a treasure of an actor worth supporting! He's handsome (I've met him in person, and his unedited photos are stunning), a great actor (his dual acting in 'The Path of Rebellion' was truly superb), and has no scandals (all rumors, rumors!!!). Except for his early marriage, he's practically perfect!"

The original intention was to promote the product, but the comments section exploded with many male and female fans who both loved and hated Xie Qing.

【Of course I know he's perfect, but why, Xie Qing, did you have to get married so early?! Couldn't you have waited a little longer? Even if you couldn't wait, you could have kept it a secret from us. Why didn't you just announce it openly?! \Pounding the ground】

As a female fan, I forced myself not to become a fan of Xie Qing after learning he got married, but I still stop to watch his videos every time I come across them. I really don't know what to do...

[Waaaaa X﹏X Me too, I really can't bear to part with Xie Qing's face. Every time I want to unfollow him, his face pulls me back. Every time I see it, my heart flutters. Can he please not get married so early? The thought of someone legally having him all to themselves makes me so jealous I'm unrecognizable. *bites handkerchief*]

[I hate it so much! Why did I have to fall for a love-struck, young, and prematurely married guy? \(／_＼) What a jerk!]

【…】

Perhaps because so many people resonated with it, this matter even briefly trended on social media. Huo Yunting saw these comments, filled with mixed feelings of love and hate, on his way to Xie Qing's film set.

The man's gaze swept over the words "legal monopoly," and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips, a strange sense of pleasure washing over him.

Winter days are short and dark. When the car arrived at its destination, Xie Qing was seen coming out wearing a black knit hat. He wore a gray fleece-lined sweatshirt with a black jacket over it, and his military-style flared trousers made his legs look straight and long. He looked handsome and cool, and when he walked quickly, he looked like a top luxury model who had stepped out of a fashion magazine.

After Xie Qing got into the car, she took off her knitted hat. Her shiny black hair was messy but just right. Her nose was slightly red as she looked at Huo Yunting, who was staring at her in a daze.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Huo Yunting's gaze was burning as he slowly leaned closer, "Qingqing is so beautiful."

Xie Qing wasn't embarrassed by the compliment at all. Instead, she met those burning eyes and asked with a smile, "Are you captivated?"