After hearing what he said, Ji Yu lowered his gaze slightly and stared ahead thoughtfully. In his heart, he more or less pieced together the entire chain of events.

“So it looks like you stepped on someone else’s cake recently?” Xie He remarked cryptically.

Ji Yu let out a soft chuckle. If there was anyone who truly wanted him finished, only one possibility came to mind—the forces backing Huo Sikai. After all, Ji Yu had taken over quite a few of their endorsements not long ago.

“But there’s still something I don’t quite understand,” Xie He said, his brows knitting into a deep frown.

“Go on,” Ji Yu replied casually. He picked up his water cup and took a light sip.

“This time, quite a few of the rumor-spreading accounts were overseas IPs. Did you offend someone abroad too?”

That single word—too—perfectly captured Xie He’s curiosity about how Ji Yu had managed to make so many enemies.

Ji Yu shot him a sidelong glance and frowned slightly. After a moment, he pressed his lips together and made a decisive call.
“Whether they’re human or ghosts, report it to the police first. Get those rumor-mongers arrested.”

Xie He hadn’t expected him to choose such a direct confrontation. He gave Ji Yu a thumbs-up.

The follow-up actions were swift. Not long after, various accounts involved in spreading false rumors received lawyer’s letters and quickly deactivated their accounts to flee.

With statements from colleagues across different circles and the intervention of Ji Yu’s PR team, public opinion gradually settled down.

As soon as Shí Xìng got off work, she rushed to the hospital. Ji Yu was lying on the hospital bed, looking up at a match playing on the wall-mounted television, his expression unreadable.

At first, she worried he might be triggered by the sight and felt a wave of panic. Only after noticing that his expression remained calm did her heart finally settle.

Ji Yu seemed to notice her tension and joked lightly,
“I’m not as fragile as you think.”

Shí Xìng relaxed and replied casually,
“I didn’t even say anything—why are you confessing on your own?”

Ji Yu immediately fell silent, then raised an eyebrow slightly and teased,
“You’ve been getting sharper with that mouth lately.”

“Learned it from you,” she shot back.

Hearing that, Ji Yu curved his lips unconsciously and drawled lazily,
“Then it’s probably because we’ve been kissing too much.”

She clearly underestimated how far he’d take it. She quickly turned her head away and snorted.
“I knew I shouldn’t have come to see you.”

Ji Yu gently pulled her toward him and lowered his voice teasingly.
“What—do you have someone else outside?”

He meant it as a joke, but to his surprise, Shí Xìng nodded.
“Yeah.”

He raised his brows slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes as he asked half-smiling,
“Who?”

She shook her head, serious as could be.
“Can’t tell you.”

Ji Yu leaned closer, instantly shortening the distance between them. The lighting in the room seemed to dim for no apparent reason, adding an unexpected sense of atmosphere. Shí Xìng’s body stiffened slightly. At that moment, his warm breath brushed against her face, sending a tingling sensation through her entire body. It felt like a current of electricity racing through her veins.

Then he leaned in and kissed her.

His cool lips slowly claimed the corner of her mouth.

From initial resistance, Shí Xìng gradually wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, as if retaliating, she bit him hard.

Ji Yu hissed in pain. The next second, his palm cradled the back of her head as he deepened the kiss.

He didn’t release her for a long while. When he finally did, her lips were slightly swollen, her cheeks still flushed.

Ji Yu’s breathing grew heavier as he stared at her darkly.
“Weren’t you pretty bold just now?”

She shot him a glare. Knowing she couldn’t win verbally, she resorted to shamelessness.
“If you keep this up, I’m leaving.”

Before she could finish, he pulled her into his arms and said calmly,
“Sure. But hand over the person you’re keeping outside first—I’ll deal with him.”

Shí Xìng met his gaze and lightly patted his hand, saying smugly,
“Alright. Then go beat yourself up.”

He smiled thinly and picked up her words smoothly.
“Guess I’ll have to rely on you to work hard then. I’ll be living off you.”

She looked him up and down as if she’d just heard something hilarious. Anything he wore probably cost several months of her salary. If he truly depended on her, they’d both be surviving on air.

Before she could respond, Xie He appeared outside the hospital room at some point. He covered his mouth and coughed lightly, joking,
“Why is it that every time I come to a hospital room, I run into you two?”

Then he added,
“Ying Xiaoxiao is coming to Jinggang City tonight. Let’s all get together.”

Shí Xìng froze. She couldn’t understand why Xie He would know about Ying Xiaoxiao’s arrival before she did. Meanwhile, Ji Yu stared at him meaningfully.

Noticing the look, Xie He clicked his tongue and chuckled.
“You shouldn’t go. You’re a hot topic right now—I’m afraid the moment you step outside, we’ll get swarmed by reporters.”

Ji Yu clicked his tongue in return and replied pointedly,
“I’m going with my girlfriend. And you—what role are you playing?”

That snapped something into place for Shí Xìng. She covered her mouth and stared at Xie He in surprise.

Realizing his thoughts had been exposed, Xie He scratched his head and dodged the question.
“Eight tonight. Biyun Pavilion. See you there!”

For once, he didn’t add anything extra and left the hospital room directly, leaving Shí Xìng and Ji Yu exchanging amused glances.

Coincidentally, it was also time for Ji Yu to be discharged. Shí Xìng helped him pack up his belongings.

That evening, when they arrived at the restaurant entrance, they saw Ying Xiaoxiao and Xie He waiting outside.

It had been a long time since they last met. Ying Xiaoxiao had cut her hair short and was wearing light makeup—something rare for her. She looked far more sharp and capable than before.

Shí Xìng rushed over and hugged her, pretending to be upset.
“You came and didn’t even message me?”

Ying Xiaoxiao wrinkled her nose and smiled.
“I wanted to surprise you.”

After chatting briefly outside, they went into the private room. Shí Xìng suddenly felt dazed—she remembered the last time she and Ying Xiaoxiao had eaten together was right before graduation. In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed, and the people around them had completely changed.

Once they were seated and had ordered food, Ying Xiaoxiao blurted out,
“Ji Yu, has that whole thing been dealt with?”

Ji Yu and Xie He both froze.

Shí Xìng looked at him in confusion.
“What thing? What are you hiding from me?”

Seeing her reaction, Ying Xiaoxiao instantly realized she’d let something slip. She hurried to smooth things over.
“I was just curious how the smear campaign got resolved so quickly.”

Xie He immediately chimed in,
“I mentioned it to her in passing before.”

Shí Xìng looked at the three of them suspiciously but didn’t press further.

When she stepped out to use the restroom, Xie He immediately pretended not to notice Ji Yu’s murderous stare.

Outside, a sudden commotion broke out. When Shí Xìng looked over, she saw that the large screen across the street—once displaying Ji Yu’s advertisement—had been replaced with another female celebrity’s name.

She lowered her gaze slightly. While ad replacements were normal, for some reason an uneasy feeling rose in her chest.

In such a short time, the results Ji Yu had worked toward for years seemed to be gradually erased.

When she returned to the table, the atmosphere felt subtly different. She couldn’t pinpoint why, and she chose not to mention what she’d just seen.

While Ji Yu and Xie He weren’t paying attention, she quietly pulled Ying Xiaoxiao aside and whispered,
“What’s really going on between you and Xie He?”

Ying Xiaoxiao lowered her head shyly—something rare—but still stubbornly replied,
“We’re just friends.”

Shí Xìng clearly didn’t believe her, but seeing that Ying Xiaoxiao wasn’t willing to tell the truth, she dropped it and changed the topic.
“By the way, do you still have the contact information for that famous Chinese medicine professor from our university?”

Ying Xiaoxiao nodded and started scrolling through her contacts, asking curiously,
“What do you need it for?”

Shí Xìng sighed and shared her thoughts.
“I heard he’s especially good with lower-back injuries. I want to visit him and see if there’s any effective way to recover.”

Ying Xiaoxiao immediately understood. She looked at her worriedly and warned her in advance.
“I heard from a senior that he has a terrible temper. Are you sure you want to go?”

Shí Xìng nodded. Even if there was only a slim chance, she wasn’t willing to give up.

Seeing this, Ying Xiaoxiao rubbed her head and sighed while shaking her own.
“They say the wise avoid love—but love really is something that makes people lose all reason.”

Shí Xìng teased her back.
“Oh please. Like you haven’t jumped into love plenty of times.”

Ying Xiaoxiao shrugged casually.
“At least not right now.”

After getting the address from her, Shí Xìng woke up early the next morning, bought some fruit, and took a taxi to the location.

She eventually arrived in a narrow alley lined with old houses. The morning sunlight gently spilled over blue-tiled roofs, adding a hazy, poetic charm that contrasted sharply with the nearby skyscrapers.

The paths inside twisted and turned endlessly. By the time she stood beneath the house number and double-checked the address, she was about to knock when raised voices drifted out from inside.

“Don’t ever tell people I’m your father again!”

“Like I care!”

The door opened abruptly, and Shí Xìng froze on the spot.

“Chen Jiayu?” Her face filled with shock as she stared at the person before her, unable to believe her eyes.

The man looked equally stunned. It took him a long moment to recover. Then he gave a slight nod and asked curiously,
“Why are you here?”

A loud voice rang out from inside the house.
“Who is it?”

Shí Xìng cautiously introduced herself toward the interior.
“Hello, Professor Chen. My name is Shí Xìng. I used to be a student at Jinggang University of Chinese Medicine. I came today because—”

She hadn’t finished before Chen Hanming interrupted impatiently.
“Go, go, go. I’m not seeing anyone.”

Chen Jiayu glanced inside with a blank expression and said helplessly,
“That’s just his temper. I’d advise you to give up.”

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