Chapter 51: The Rising Star Who Died from Cyberbullying (7)

With that loudspeaker blaring, Xie Hui couldn’t pretend not to hear them this time. As soon as the courtyard gate opened, the two dogs he kept rushed out and started barking wildly at the group of people outside.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. My son earns his money cleanly and honestly. Why are you all so malicious?!”

The man clearly hadn’t expected Xie Hui to react this way.

When it comes to their children, parents can easily lose their composure. No matter how rational they usually are, they struggle to stay calm when their child is involved.

Yet this ordinary old farmer still had unwavering faith that his son hadn’t gone astray.

“So, you strongly disapprove of your son’s behavior, then? Do you think your son’s actions have brought shame upon your ancestors?”

Xie Hui stepped aside slightly, making sure the hidden camera under the eaves could clearly capture these people’s faces. Hunching his back, he replied in a frail voice:

“Not at all. My child is very filial. Our ancestors are all proud of him.”

“Yes, many people outside are criticizing him. As his father, shouldn’t you discipline him properly? Sir, thank you for accepting our interview.”

After saying that, they quickly turned to leave. Zhaocai and Jinbao kept barking furiously, even tearing a hole in the pants of the man who had spoken.

Finally, the big goose made an appearance, delivering a vicious peck to the backside of one of the squatters reviewing their recorded footage.

Watching them scream and flee, Xie Hui’s lips curled slightly. Since his back was to the camera, he even pretended to stumble, nearly falling to the ground. Seeing this, Zhaocai and Jinbao immediately circled around him anxiously.

Xie Hui grabbed onto the doorframe for support, taking his time to “steady” himself.

There were many ways to stop those people from publishing the video, but Xie Hui didn’t lift a finger. Instead, after they left, he retrieved a few Karmic Talismans from the system space and placed them on each of them.

The system marketplace had plenty of options—Misfortune Talismans were even cheaper—but Xie Hui deliberately chose the Karmic Talismans, which were several times more expensive.

Rather than personally ensuring their downfall, he preferred to let them reap the consequences of their own sins.

He highly doubted that any of these people, who had come to his doorstep to maliciously twist the truth, would suddenly have a change of heart and never do harm again.

Right after Xie Xingzhou finished filming his latest drama, numerous scandals about him exploded online.

Most notably, the interview with his father went viral, shooting straight to the top of the trending topics.

His agency was just a small company. Though they tried to defend him on Weibo, the comments were filled with hate. Looking at it all, Xie Xingzhou was completely baffled.

At first, the situation wasn’t too bad. But once the scandal made it to the hot searches, fans quickly recognized the old man in the video.

Back when Xie Hui first started posting videos, he used the nickname “Ordinary Old Man”, and his fans had affectionately called him “Grandpa” ever since.

When people realized that Xie Xingzhou was the very child this “Grandpa” often mentioned, the hate towards him escalated dramatically. A lot of it was fueled by the star power of Grandpa himself.

Initially, the company firmly stood by Xie Xingzhou, even planning to sue those spreading extreme slander. But as public opinion became overwhelmingly one-sided, the small agency simply couldn’t hold out any longer.

Xie Hui patiently watched the situation unfold online. He waited until the scandal reached its peak before finally making an appearance on his social media account with a new video.

He explained that he had been so agitated by the unexpected intrusion of strangers into his home that he was hospitalized, which was why he hadn’t responded sooner.

Technically, this wasn’t a lie. He had indeed taken this opportunity to get a full health check-up and receive treatment.

The original client had always been frugal, reluctant to spend money on medical care. While he didn’t have any major illnesses, a lifetime of hard work had left him with plenty of minor ailments. He had simply endured them, unwilling to waste money on a hospital visit.

So Xie Hui used this as an excuse to get everything checked and treated while he was at it.

After briefly explaining his delay, Xie Hui then released the original, unedited footage of the so-called interview.

The original client had tried to defend himself afterward, but no one believed him. They assumed he was just blindly protecting his son. The reason? He had no evidence.

Luckily, since Xie Hui had installed hidden cameras around the courtyard for his videos, he had clear footage of what really happened.

He revealed the entire, unfiltered truth:

The reporters had rudely barged into his home.

They ignored everything he said and only cared about their own narrative.

As soon as they finished talking, they immediately fled, without giving him a real chance to respond.

Although Xie Hui had censored the faces of the intruders in his video, his “rural grandpa” editing skills were conveniently a little rough.

It didn’t take long for tech-savvy netizens to remove the blurs. Soon, people recognized one of the reporters as a notorious gossip journalist known for fabricating stories for money.

Seeing the truth, Xie Xingzhou’s agency rallied behind him again. If they had believed in him when things were uncertain, they were even more determined now. They immediately prepared lawsuits against those who had maliciously slandered him.

With the truth exposed, the all-knowing internet quickly uncovered the mastermind behind this smear campaign.

It was none other than the disgraced CEO who had previously been caught breaking the law.

At first, people were confused. Why would a corporate CEO suddenly go after a rising star in the entertainment industry?

Curiosity led them to dig deeper. Eventually, a former secretary who had resigned from the CEO’s company spilled the real reason:

Jealousy.

The CEO had once illegally detained someone—a woman who had casually mentioned that she admired a character played by Xie Xingzhou.

Consumed by petty jealousy, the CEO had tried to ruin Xie Xingzhou’s career.

When this revelation came to light, netizens were utterly dumbfounded.

Even those who didn’t care about the entertainment industry couldn’t help but feel outraged.

After all, who hasn’t watched a drama and liked an actor before?

The idea that someone could be systematically destroyed just because they were good at their job and admired by others was utterly insane.

Since when did being excellent become a crime?

The male lead’s company primarily sold household products, but after this whole fiasco, their revenue took a significant hit. Even though he was eventually ousted by the board of directors, the company still suffered from the impact.

In the end, many of the things the male lead had done had already crossed legal boundaries. Once investigated, he was held accountable according to the law.

This incident stirred up a storm for days, and the hype showed no signs of dying down.

Although Xie Xingzhou had only recently entered the entertainment industry, the role he played was highly popular, and the drama he starred in was considered one of the best in recent years.

On top of that, the person those reporters had targeted—Xie Xingzhou’s father—was a well-liked content creator. And despite his age, he had been so frightened by those people that he ended up in the hospital.

Back when the old man’s videos first went viral, some people had tried to track down his location, but none had ever succeeded.

Yet now, someone had suddenly broken into his home. Curious about how those people had found his address, netizens started digging. Eventually, they uncovered the culprits responsible for doxxing the old man’s whereabouts, and those individuals were promptly “invited for tea” by the authorities.

Once everything was resolved and the dust had settled, it was only then that some people finally realized—

Wait… Xie Xingzhou is actually the old man’s son?!!!

Xie Xingzhou had a natural talent for acting. He was hardworking, willing to learn, and not the least bit pretentious—traits that many directors appreciated in a newcomer.

After his relationship with Xie Hui was exposed, he also started receiving some preferential treatment in terms of career opportunities. Many people who liked his father’s videos were willing to work with him.

On set, people frequently tried to get close to him, asking if he could rig the giveaways his father occasionally hosted.

Xie Xingzhou rejected them all, thinking that would be the end of it. But to his surprise, that night, a female investor from his production team called him to her room.

For a moment, his mind was filled with all sorts of rumors—was he really about to be singled out by some industry bigwig and forced into a shady deal?

But then, the investor simply handed him a tablet and, in a friendly tone, asked,

“You’re Xie Xingzhou, right? Has your father ever considered making that sour dried apricot again? If he’s willing, I’ll cast you as the lead in my next production.”

The woman was dressed in a suit and seemed older, with faint wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. Noticing his wariness, she chuckled and explained,

“My daughter managed to snag a jar the last time your father made it. Now she’s pregnant and has had terrible morning sickness, but eating that sour dried apricot was the only thing that made her feel better.”

In reality, it wasn’t just that.

After finishing that small jar, her daughter had tried numerous other brands of sour dried apricots, but none tasted quite right.

Watching her daughter lose weight from the pregnancy made her heart ache, but she had no way to contact Xie Xingzhou’s father.

The old man rarely interacted with people online beyond posting videos. He had no official accounts, and every time he restocked his store, the products sold out instantly.

He was, just like in his videos, living a completely reclusive life.

With no other options, she thought of reaching out through his son.

“Don’t be so quick to reject me. This is the project I’m investing in next.”

She handed Xie Xingzhou a script adaptation of one of the most popular novels of the moment. Seeing his eyes light up, she knew she had him.

“I’m really interested, but I need to check with my dad first.”

Forcing himself to look away from the script, Xie Xingzhou smiled politely.

Back in his room, his heart was still pounding. He had read that novel before—it was practically every young man’s martial arts dream.

His first instinct was to call his dad immediately, but one glance at the time told him his father was probably already asleep.

Barely containing his excitement, he flopped onto his bed, deciding to ask in the morning.

The next day, right after breakfast, Xie Hui got a call from his son.

As soon as he heard the request, he agreed without hesitation.

That sour dried apricot recipe was actually something he had developed in a past life when he worked as an imperial physician, specifically for pregnant consorts experiencing severe morning sickness.

It helped alleviate nausea and improve appetite.

Getting his son a role in a drama was just an unexpected bonus.

Xie Hui didn’t hold back—he prepared a large batch and shipped it off to the address Xie Xingzhou provided.

Afterward, Xie Xingzhou focused entirely on his work, while Xie Hui busied himself with tending his garden, enjoying his peaceful retirement. Occasionally, he would call his son to check in.