Chapter 78

Huo Ran never expected that he’d end up in jail because of a backstab from someone he’d once thought highly of. He let out a weary, bitter laugh—so even he had a day where his judgment of character completely failed.

“But now it’s fine. Qin Aochen landed himself in jail. He brought it upon himself and fully deserves it.”

Just thinking about the miserable end Qin Aochen was going to face filled Agent Qin Jie with satisfaction—her heart felt like fireworks were bursting inside. If Qin Aochen were standing in front of her right now, she’d definitely applaud and cheer, celebrating the fact that karma had finally come for him.

Seeing Qin Jie’s joy overflow like that, Huo Ran knew she was releasing the anxiety, fear, and heartbreak that had built up inside her. He reached out and gently patted her shoulder to comfort her. He knew she was usually a calm, good-natured person—this uncharacteristic outburst really showed how deeply she’d been shaken.

He had met Qin Jie right when he first entered the entertainment industry. Back then, both of them were complete nobodies. Everything they had now was earned bit by bit through hard work. Over more than ten years, they had grown closer than family. This time, he’d been in such serious trouble, and she had undoubtedly been worried sick.

Huo Ran wasn’t a talkative person, but in this situation, he still softly reassured her, “Sis, I’m okay. I didn’t suffer too much. You don’t have to worry.”

Qin Jie started crying even as she smiled. “How can you say it’s nothing? You went to jail! If no one had proven your innocence, you would’ve had to stay in there for years. When you got out, would the entertainment industry even have a place for you anymore?”

Huo Ran had entered the industry when he had nowhere else to go. Everything he had now was the result of risking everything, clawing his way up inch by inch. If he lost his standing in the entertainment world, what would he do with the rest of his life?

“Sis, I believe the heavens won’t let an innocent person fall into despair. I’m out of jail now, aren’t I? I’ll be more careful from now on—I won’t accept anything handed to me again.”

Huo Ran had endured far worse. After being kicked out of his home by his scumbag father and the mistress when he was barely an adult, he had even slept on the streets and dug through trash bins. A few days of labor in prison really wasn’t that big of a deal.

He had always believed that life would not forsake those who worked hard. The fact that he could walk out of prison was proof of that.

“I’ll be more careful in the future too. This happened because you drank that beverage Xia Zhizhang handed you. Too bad I couldn’t find enough evidence to tell whether he was innocent or also in on it. But it’s fine—once the news gets out, your fans will roast him so hard he won’t dare show his face again. He won’t even dare come near you.”

Though still a bit upset talking about the incident, Agent Qin Jie could finally hold back her tears.

“Xia Zhizhang…”

Thinking about the junior who had caused him to take the blame for drug use, Huo Ran gave a bitter smile. Just how bad was his judgment? Xia Zhizhang had clearly been nervous at the time, staring intently at the cup he handed over. Huo Ran had simply assumed the kid was a nervous fan.

But thinking back now—Xia Zhizhang had probably been terrified that Huo Ran would discover the drug he had slipped into the drink.

“By the way, you should head home and get some rest first. I’ll reach out and try to get in touch with Miss Shen. You need to properly thank her, understand? You got out this time all thanks to her.”

Agent Qin Jie once again emphasized Miss Shen’s kindness. Huo Ran nodded in agreement—grateful and ready to repay kindness. “Can I know who Miss Shen is? Why did she help me?”

“How many families named Shen are there in the Imperial Capital? Obviously, the one at the very top.”

Qin Jie laughed. “And Qin Aochen brought this on himself. He used to go to high school at Ming Gao Nian, and he shamelessly kept pestering the eldest young lady of the You family. Of course, she wanted nothing to do with him. But he told his fans that her rejection drove him into depravity and promiscuity, claiming he started sleeping around because of her. As a result, his fans went online and viciously attacked her. But you know who that young lady is? She’s Miss Shen’s girlfriend. Obviously, Miss Shen wasn’t about to let her own girlfriend suffer like that.”

Even though Agent Qin Jie was already a woman well into her thirties, she was thoroughly smitten by Miss Shen’s badass vibe. “That’s why Miss Shen took just one day to throw Qin Aochen into prison and dug up all his dirt, then published it online.”

Huo Ran was honestly impressed by the “Miss Shen” in her story. He leaned back in his chair and let out a long breath. “So I basically benefited from Miss You?”

“Exactly. Didn’t you know? Miss You really likes your music. Otherwise, why would Miss Shen go to the trouble of helping you?”

Agent Qin Jie wasn’t exaggerating—You Changqing wasn’t really into celebrity culture, but thanks to her younger brother You Changhong, she had developed a fondness for Huo Ran’s low-key but talented style. Changhong had gone through a phase where he was obsessed with Huo Ran and kept recommending him to You Changqing nonstop. In the end, she couldn’t help but remember the name.

And no one knew You Changqing’s little preferences and habits better than Shen Lihuan, the one who shared her bed. She helped Huo Ran not just because he was innocent, but also for You Changqing’s sake.

As for why she let Huo Ran’s agent Qin Jie in on the truth—well, doing good deeds deserves credit, right? Okay fine, it was so Huo Ran would thank You Changqing, maybe even meet her. Once she saw him in person, she’d realize Shen Lihuan was still the best choice.

When You Changqing found out what Shen Lihuan had done, she wrapped her arms around her and planted a kiss on her lips. Shen Lihuan pinned her against the wall with a hand next to her head and kissed her deeply.

Since You Changqing offered herself up, there was no way Shen Lihuan was going to hold back.

By the time You Changqing stumbled home at noon, lips kiss-swollen and eyes glazed, her brother You Changhong teased her mercilessly. “Looks like Sister Lihuan was in quite the mood, sis—your lips are all puffy. Must’ve been an intense battle~”

Facing You Changhong’s mischievous gaze, You Changqing let out a calm, dismissive laugh. “Can’t help it—your Sister Lihuan is just that passionate. A little boy like you who hasn’t even had his first kiss wouldn’t understand this kind of feeling.”

First blood!

You Changhong took a metaphorical knife straight to the chest. He raised a trembling finger to point at her, teary-eyed. “Sis, you don’t love me anymore.”

“Sorry, but siblings can’t be in love. And I already have your Sister Lihuan, so I can’t love you.”

You Changqing coldly shut him down.

Double kill!

You Changhong pouted. “You got a girlfriend and now you don’t want your little brother. Sis, I finally see your true colors.”

You Changqing sneered. “That’s just because you’re too dumb. Only realizing it now.”

Triple kill!

You Changhong was utterly defeated. Holding his heart, he ran off crying to his room to find comfort from his Big Brother Ye.

You Changqing couldn’t help but laugh as she watched his grief-stricken retreating back. What an idiot.

Meanwhile, the Shen and You families acted quickly, sending lawyer letters to the netizens who had cursed out You Changqing, summoning them to court.

Those who received the legal notices panicked. They hadn’t expected the You family to actually sue. Wasn’t there a saying that “the law doesn’t punish the masses”? It wasn’t just them who insulted You Changqing—it was tens of thousands of people. How would the You family have the time or energy to go after every single one of them? Were they that free?

But at the thought of the massive power the You family held, real fear set in. Many of them wept hysterically to their families, and quite a few got smacked around by furious parents. After their parents calmed down, they were told to delete their previous comments and apologize to Miss You. Thankfully, most had only said some nasty things online—they hadn’t done anything more extreme. Otherwise, who knew what the consequences might’ve been?

How could nobodies like them afford to offend the You family? Just because they followed some so-called idol, they had the guts to curse people out? Learning all the wrong things. Once this whole ordeal was over, their phones and computers were definitely getting confiscated!

Now, the internet was flooded with the same message:

“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said those things. Please forgive me.”

People who hadn’t been online for a while were baffled. Who were they all apologizing to? Once they asked around, they learned everyone was apologizing to the You family’s eldest daughter—and burst out laughing.

“They dared to insult Miss You? What stray mutt got loose without its meds? Never heard of ‘trouble comes from the mouth’? What are they, elementary school kids?”

“Aren’t Qin Aocheng’s fans mostly middle schoolers? All about looks, never about character. That nude photo scandal he had—any other celeb would’ve been canceled on the spot. Everyone would be yelling at them to get out of the industry. But not Qin Aocheng. He came out of it fine and even gained more fans. I honestly wonder what these fans are thinking.”

“Exactly! I started disliking Qin Aocheng because of that scandal. But everyone around me just said he was young and made a mistake, and we should give him a chance to change.”

“Hah, and yet he’s still doing the same nasty stuff. Didn’t you see the new dirt on him sleeping with fans? The day before he got caught, he even brought his manager back to his villa.”

“For real? Isn’t his manager ten years older than him?”

“It’s true. Haven’t you seen the evidence posted by ‘Gossip King of the Entertainment Circle’? They uploaded all the bedroom photos of him and other women.”

“I hadn’t seen that yet. Gotta go check it out. Thanks, bro!”

The Gossip King of the Entertainment Circle was known for only posting verified dirt. They weren’t afraid of offending celebrities and had a rep for exposing anything and everything. Even though a bunch of stars hated their guts, they couldn’t do anything about it. The nude photo scandal with Qin Aocheng? That was their scoop too.

Same this time. So once they posted, most netizens believed this was real, damning evidence.

“I’m back. Qin Aocheng is honestly disgusting. Only nineteen and already so experienced? Not afraid of grinding an iron rod into a needle, huh? Other fresh-faced idols may only have their looks, not his talent, but now I actually prefer them. At least they’re not sex-crazed fiends like him.”

That comment had all the “fresh meat” idols laughing bitterly. Most of them were idol-type entertainers—mediocre at singing and acting—but they still gathered plenty of fans thanks to their looks. Their fans were mostly “girlfriend fans” and “mom fans” who hated the idea of them dating, let alone being caught in a sex scandal. Fan love is a fragile thing—one slip and they’d all vanish. Without fans, what kind of future would they even have?

So they had to stay squeaky clean.

“We don’t care what kind of person Qin Aocheng is—we just want his fans to apologize. They spent all this time insulting our Huohuo, and now that the truth is out, it’s clear our Huohuo was framed by Qin Aocheng. All we want is a sincere apology.”

Huo Ran’s fans had grown stronger and more united after this whole incident, becoming more rational too. Instead of fighting with Qin Aocheng’s fans, they quietly demanded an apology. Neutral netizens who learned the truth and realized Huo Ran was innocent began sympathizing with him and took it upon themselves to speak up for justice.

Qin Aocheng’s fans, now mocked by the masses, didn’t even dare make a sound. Seeing Huo Ran’s fans asking for an apology made them both guilty and angry. Qin Aocheng had been insulted too before—why didn’t anyone apologize then? Now that he was in trouble, they were suddenly playing the victim?

Huo Ran didn’t know about the chaos online. After sleeping for an entire day, he finally woke up, clutching his rumbling stomach. He sluggishly got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to wash up, all while thinking about what gift he should give to thank Miss Shen and Miss You.

Right—Miss Shen and Miss You were a couple. He had two Luo Dynasty palace fans in his collection. According to legend, they were made by Shen Yaonian, a renowned calligrapher and painter from the Luo Dynasty, and his wife You Zhaoyan. One side of each fan featured a graceful noblewoman; the other side, lifelike green bamboo and a poem. It was said Shen Yaonian and You Zhaoyan first met in a bamboo grove and fell in love at first sight. The presence of the green bamboo only further confirmed the tale’s truth.

Hundreds of years ago, Shen Yaonian defied the condemnation of the world and insisted on marrying another woman, You Zhaoyan, as her wife. At the time, society was universally opposed, but Shen Yaonian braved all the gossip and rumors to obtain an imperial decree of marriage from the emperor himself, successfully bringing You Zhaoyan home. In the end, she even went to the battlefield for her, earning her the honorary title of a First-Rank Lady.

Their soul-stirring love story has been passed down through the ages, and these two palace fans—rumored to have been crafted by the couple—are naturally of great value, both materially and symbolically. They make the perfect gift for Miss Shen and Miss You.

What’s more, it’s an incredible coincidence that the owners of the fans share the same surname as Miss Shen and Miss You. Isn’t that a sign of fate? Perhaps, hundreds of years ago, they were even from the same family.