Chapter 50: The Rising Star Who Died from Cyberbullying (6)

The client’s house was quite remote, with no neighbors around. Xie Hui was rather grateful for this. As he pulled open the courtyard gate, the large goose that had followed him all the way home waddled out aggressively, shaking its tail and viciously pecking at the man’s leg.

“You young lad, how can you let an old lady take care of you at such a young age? And even work like an ox and a horse for her? Our village only has proper elderly women. Why don’t you try asking in the next village over?”

The young man yelped as his leg was pecked, but recalling his superior’s instructions, he turned his head and shouted:

“I’m talking about your son! I mean your son!”

Standing at the door, Xie Hui held a pair of large pruning shears. With patience, he snipped off a withered flower branch, then turned his head to glance at the man.

“What? Your son is with you too? What kind of father are you! You want an old lady to take care of you, and you even bring your son along?”

At this point, the young man was getting fed up with being pecked. Just as he was about to kick the goose away, the plump bird swiftly retreated back into the courtyard and let out a few triumphant honks.

“You old coot! I’m talking about your son, Xie Xingzhou! He’s being kept by an older woman!”

Xie Hui, still holding the pruning shears, walked over to the gate and looked at the man standing outside, his face brimming with excitement.

“Huh? You said you only want two corncobs?”

“Ahem… We don’t have old ladies in our village, but would an old man do?”

“Bringing your son along too, that’s just four corncobs, isn’t it? It’s not like I can’t afford it. Look, I’ve got them hanging right under the eaves.”

Xie Hui turned around and pointed at the corn cobs drying under the eaves. Seeing the man fuming and about to leave, he took a step forward, grabbed his clothes, and enthusiastically pulled him inside while still holding the large pruning shears.

“Come, come, young man. If an old man gives you two corncobs a day to take care of you, at least help me weed the yard clean first.”

“When your son arrives too, I’ll give you five a day for both of you! I’m not a stingy man. Come on, get to work first.”

The man now wanted to leave. No amount of preparation could have accounted for dealing with an old man who has hearing difficulty and couldn’t understand a thing he was saying.

On the way here, he had thought it would be easy to fool a rural old man who had farmed his whole life. A few words about his son being deceived into taking the wrong path should have been enough. A loving father would naturally follow his lead.

Even if the father was a bit more cautious and decided to call his son, it wouldn’t matter. Right now, Xie Xingzhou was filming on a closed-set production, exhausted from wire training and action scenes. The moment he got back to his hotel, he’d be too tired to move.

If his father called to confirm, it would only reinforce his claim.

Before coming here, he had investigated thoroughly. Xie Xingzhou’s father barely knew how to read. If he wanted to find his son, he’d have to follow him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even make it out of this small county.

Once they got him to the big city, a few reporters could be arranged to interview him, set a couple of traps, ask some leading questions, and if necessary, edit the footage and dub over it. In the end, whatever they said would become the “truth.”

Once the edited clips were released, public opinion would take over. Even a lie would become reality. As the boy’s father, this old man would be the perfect tool.

But who would’ve thought—the old man had hearing difficulty! Not only did he completely misinterpret everything, but now he was also trying to make him stay and weed the yard!

Of course, the man didn’t want to work for free. But looking at the “kind” old man holding a large pair of pruning shears, he started to feel uneasy.

Forced to work under the scorching sun, he pulled out every last weed in the yard. The occasional snip snip sound nearby made cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

By the time he finished, his back felt like it no longer belonged to him. But before he could rest, the old man was already holding the pruning shears again and pointing at the fish pond.

The pond was covered in green algae, its water murky. Occasionally, a few koi swam up to the surface to blow bubbles, and fallen leaves floated on the water.

“Oh dear, young man, I’m getting old. I was afraid of water snakes down there, so I didn’t dare to clean it. Good thing you’re here.”

Xie Hui dragged over a potted plant and snipped at the flowers right next to the young man. Whenever the man glanced at him, Xie Hui would smile kindly.

This was quite a large courtyard, and if Xie Hui had to clean it himself, it would have taken him at least two days.

In the countryside, if a house was left unoccupied for a while, weeds would start growing everywhere. The fish pond would get covered in algae, and Xie Hui had always hired someone to take care of it.

But now that a free laborer had delivered himself to the doorstep, the entire yard was cleaned up in just one afternoon.

By the time the evening sky was painted with hues of sunset, Xie Hui finished pruning the flowers. He looked at the man, who now sat there too exhausted to even run from the pecking goose. Taking two corncobs from under the eaves, he kindly handed them over.

When he finally escorted the man out of the yard, the plump goose enthusiastically waddled after him, honking as if it wanted to follow. Standing in the courtyard, Xie Hui watched as the man ran away, his shoe getting knocked off by the goose. Only then did he turn around, satisfied.

A bit of a pity, though. The two dogs he raised were at his other house. If they had been here, they could have chased the man even faster—he might’ve lost both shoes instead of just one.

Before making dinner, Xie Hui fed the goose first. Seeing it happily eating, he turned back to prepare his own meal.

Earlier, Xie Xingzhou had called to tell him that his current film set was fully closed off for production. Since it was a sci-fi film, there was no avoiding intense wire training.

Xie Hui had no intention of disturbing him. However, at this point in the plot, the petty and jealous male lead—who, according to the world’s setting, was the type to destroy entire companies when upset—was already showing signs of getting involved.

Since the female lead had begun to follow the original plot, randomly making excuses to provoke the male lead’s jealousy, there was no way he would let Xie Xingzhou off the hook.

Based on Xie Hui’s experience in handling multiple missions, the male lead was highly likely to throw out a classic line: “Woman, you can only love me!”

Thinking it over, Xie Hui decided to start with the supporting female character.

In the original storyline, the male lead entered a business marriage with the female supporting character for the sake of his career. One night, after getting drunk, he ended up sleeping with her. Because of this, the delicate and innocent female lead felt wronged and decided to leave while pregnant.

Later, the male lead, determined to bring the runaway female lead back and imprison her in his villa, took the female supporting character to the hospital and forced her to terminate the pregnancy.

Judging by the timeline, this was supposed to happen soon.

Xie Hui had the system keep an eye on things, instructing it to notify him the moment the male lead made a move.

In this world, aside from making videos, Xie Hui also aspired to be a law-abiding and enthusiastic citizen.

A few days later, before Xie Hui even finished filming his latest video on traditional pastries, the system sent him a reminder. The plot had progressed to the point where the female lead, devastated after learning that the male lead was married, took her unborn child and sought refuge with the second male lead.

The male lead then forcibly brought her back, realized her importance to him, and decided to divorce the female supporting character—while also demanding she terminate the unwanted pregnancy.

Maybe it was because he was a father now, but Xie Hui had grown particularly intolerant of situations like this. A child had no say in whether they came into this world, and as parents, people should take responsibility.

So, as the male lead was taking the female lead to the hospital, the ever-enthusiastic citizen Xie Hui got an anonymous phone card and made a police report.

Even though the male lead and the female supporting character were legally married, he had no right to force her into an abortion against her will.

Xie Hui had read up on the female supporting character’s background in this world. She had been spoiled by her parents growing up. In the original plot, after losing her child, she was sent to a mental institution.

Xie Hui was willing to bet that, in her heart, the child mattered more than the male lead. If given the chance to keep the baby, she wouldn’t give it up.

And even if he lost this bet, it wouldn’t cost him anything. He was just an ordinary, well-meaning citizen.

Aside from reporting on behalf of the female supporting character, Xie Hui also called the police for the female lead, ensuring that he remained an impartial, fair-minded citizen who took no sides.

The male lead had locked the female lead in a villa against her will, refusing to let her leave—an act that already constituted illegal detention.

In many of the worlds where Xie Hui carried out his missions, the people within those realms were heavily influenced by the so-called “Son of Heaven’s Will,” making them believe he was always right.

However, the sacred laws never changed. Justice always remained.

So every time he saw situations where an illegitimate child was locked up by their stepmother, or the male lead forcibly took what he wanted from the female lead against her will, or he stole her child, Xie Hui always had the urge to call the police on them.

After wrapping things up, Xie Hui sent some preserved pastries to Xie Xingzhou, along with a message reminding him that while work was important, so was taking care of himself.

There was a rocking chair in the yard, a table beside it holding freshly made pastries and a pot of brewed tea. His phone was playing Huangmei opera as he lounged in the chair, leisurely watching the footage the system was transmitting.

Several birds perched on the large tree outside the yard, chirping pleasantly.

At the hospital, the female supporting character—who had been arguing with the male lead about getting a divorce while insisting on keeping the child—hesitated for only a moment when the police arrived. Then, she confirmed that the male lead had indeed tried to force her into an abortion against her will.

Xie Hui wasn’t surprised in the slightest. He understood that in most cases, a mother’s love was a powerful thing. Unless completely blinded by love, any rational mother would make the same choice.

The male lead was taken to the police station, while the female supporting character returned home. After what had happened, she saw the male lead’s true colors and cried in her mother’s arms. Fortunately, her parents fully supported her decision to get a divorce.

Meanwhile, at the villa, where the male lead had locked up the female lead with guards watching over her, the police arrived and rescued her.

As for what happened next, Xie Hui no longer cared. He never had much faith in the female leads of these tragic romance, “pregnant and on the run” storylines anyway.

But the female supporting character’s case alone was enough to ruin the male lead. Moreover, the general public tended to hold corporate CEOs to higher moral standards. If a brand owner was found guilty of breaking the law, people would usually boycott their products.

Whether or not he ended up in jail, the male lead would still have to deal with the double blow to both his personal and professional life. He probably wouldn’t have the time or energy to bother Xie Xingzhou anymore.

Just as Xie Hui was preparing to enjoy a peaceful retirement, who could have expected that, a few months later, the same young man who had come to his house before would return—this time bringing along several reporters carrying cameras?

The moment Xie Hui opened the door, one of them immediately thrust a microphone toward him, holding a megaphone in his other hand as he loudly asked:

“What do you have to say about your son’s current success in the entertainment industry being entirely due to the support of elderly women around your age?”

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—Huangmei Opera (黄梅戏) is a traditional Chinese opera known for its melodic singing, folk influences, and simple storytelling. Originating in Anhui Province, it became popular in Hubei and beyond. A famous work is “The Emperor’s Female Son-in-Law” (天仙配).